EXTERNAL FIXING CONNECTING ROD FOR FAST AND SMOOTH ADJUSTMENT Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC A61B17/66 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: connecting rod for an external fixing device defining a longitudinal axis and comprising a telescopic housing with a housing body having an axial channel extending therethrough, an inner sleeve and an adjusting mechanism. The inner sleeve body has an axial channel, a discretely positioning flange passing through it and connected to the distal end of the sleeve body, and a tip connected to the distal surface of the discretely positioning flange. The adjusting mechanism is disposed around the inner sleeve tip and comprises the first rotating member, the second rotating member, a biasing member adjacent to the proximal portion of the second rotating member, and an elongated member provided with an external thread. The first rotating member has an axial passage extending therethrough which comprises: a polygonal recess at the distal end and an inner recess at the proximal end configured to receive a discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve therein. The second rotating member has a threaded axial passage extending therethrough. The second rotating member comprises a polygonal head at the distal end, adapted to interface with the polygonal recess of the first rotating member; and a proximal portion comprising an internal recess configured to receive the tip of the inner sleeve therein. The biasing member is located adjacent to the proximal portion of the second rotating member. The elongated member is provided with an external thread by means of a thread connected inside the second rotating member of the adjusting mechanism. In the first locked position, in the inner recess of the proximal end of the first rotating member, a discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve is located, which thus prevents the adjusting mechanism from rotating about the inner sleeve and the elongated member. In the second unlocked position, the first rotating member is moved in the distal direction relative to the second rotating member and the inner recess of the proximal end of the first rotating member is withdrawn from the interaction with the discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve, thereby allowing the adjusting mechanism to rotate about the inner sleeve and the elongated member. As the adjusting mechanism rotates around the inner sleeve and the elongated member, the latter is moved inside the axial passage formed in the inner sleeve during smooth adjustment and thus increases or decreases the total length of the connecting rod. As the adjusting mechanism rotates around the inner sleeve and the elongated member, the adjusting mechanism is biased by the biasing member to return to the first locked position when the inner recess of the proximal end of the first rotating member is aligned with the discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve and receives the said flange. A method for adjustment the position of the first and second outer fixing devices, according to which: a) the above connecting rod is provided, b) the discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve is received into the inner recess of the proximal end of the first rotating member and thus prevents the adjusting mechanism from rotating about the inner sleeve and the elongated member in the first locked position, c) the first rotating member is moved relative to the second rotating member and internal recess of the distal end of the first rotating member along the longitudinal axis of the connecting rod and rotates the first rotating member about the inner sleeve to thereby release the first rotating member from interaction with the discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve and enable the adjustment mechanism to rotate around the inner sleeve and elongated member in the second unlocked position, d) the adjusting mechanism is rotated around the inner sleeve and the elongated member, thus moving the elongated member within the axial channel formed in the inner sleeve during smooth adjustment of the total length of the connecting rod, and e) the biasing member is biased to return to the first locked position when the adjusting mechanism rotates about the inner sleeve and elongated member, and when the inner recess of the proximal end of the first rotating member is aligned with the discretely positioning flange of the inner sleeve and receives the said flange.

EFFECT: inventions provide fast and coarse adjustment of the rod length and a possibility of simple and rigid attachment to the non-parallel external rings of the fixator.

15 cl, 13 dwg