Surgical hammer

Abstract

A surgical hammer that includes a handle, a shaft extending from the handle and a hammer head connected to the shaft. The hammer head includes a slot extending through the hammer head and in fluid communication with a distal end of the hammer head, a first internal cavity within the hammer head spaced laterally from the slot, and a second internal cavity within the hammer head spaced laterally from the slot.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A surgical hammer comprising:
 a handle;   a shaft extending from the handle; and   a hammer head connected to the shaft, the hammer head including:
 a slot extending through the hammer head and in fluid communication with a distal end of the hammer head, 
 a bore extending into the hammer head sized to receive the shaft, 
 a first internal cavity within the hammer head spaced laterally from the slot, and 
 a second internal cavity within the hammer head spaced laterally from the slot, 
   wherein the slot is distal to the bore at a longitudinal midportion of the hammer head, between the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity.   
     
     
         22 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein a portion of each of the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity is filled with a metal. 
     
     
         23 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein a portion of each of the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity is filled with metal ball bearings or shot. 
     
     
         24 . The surgical hammer of  claim 22 , wherein the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity are partially filled. 
     
     
         25 . The surgical hammer of  claim 22 , wherein each of the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity is filled with metal from about 20% to 95% by volume. 
     
     
         26 . The surgical hammer of  claim 22 , wherein the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity is filled to capacity with metal. 
     
     
         27 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein each of the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity is a cylindrical cavity. 
     
     
         28 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity have an overall volume of about 40% to 70% of an overall volume of the hammer head. 
     
     
         29 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the bore is positioned about a proximal end of the hammer head. 
     
     
         30 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the slot is an elongated slot having a longitudinal axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft. 
     
     
         31 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the slot is a tapered slot. 
     
     
         32 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the hammer includes a convex surface defining a proximal end of the slot. 
     
     
         33 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the hammer head has a substantially cylindrical overall profile. 
     
     
         34 . The surgical hammer of  claim 21 , wherein the hammer head has an overall weight of about 100 grams to about 5 kilograms. 
     
     
         35 . A surgical hammer comprising:
 a handle;   a shaft extending from the handle; and   a substantially cylindrical hammer head connected to the shaft about its proximal end and its longitudinal midportion, the hammer head including:
 an elongated tapered slot extending through the hammer head and in fluid communication with a distal end of the hammer head, 
 a cylindrical first internal cavity within the hammer head spaced laterally from the elongated tapered slot and filled with metal ball bearings or shot, and 
 a cylindrical second internal cavity within the hammer head spaced laterally from the elongated tapered slot and filled with metal ball bearings or shot. 
   
     
     
         36 . The surgical hammer of  claim 35 , wherein the first internal cavity and the second internal cavity have an overall volume of about 40% to 70% of an overall volume of the hammer head. 
     
     
         37 . The surgical hammer of claim  13 , wherein the hammer head has an overall weight of about 100 grams to about 5 kilograms.