Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
Sternotomy closure apparatus comprising: a curved needle having two ends, with a point at one end for piercing animal tissue, and a connection to a flexible leader at the other end; a flexible leader having two ends, the leader having one end connected to the other end of the needle; a flexible multi-strand cable having two ends; a stop on one end of the cable, the other end of the cable being attached to the other end of the leader; and an apertured bar on the cable at the stop.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
Sternotomy closure apparatus comprising: a curved needle having two ends, with a point at one end for piercing animal tissue, and a connection to a flexible leader at the other end; a flexible leader having two ends, the leader having one end connected to the other end of the needle; a flexible multi-strand cable having two ends; a stop on one end of the cable, the other end of the cable being attached to the other end of the leader; and an apertured bar on the cable at the stop.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus of claim 1 and wherein: the bar has two apertures therein, the cable being received through one of the apertures, the other aperture being sized to fittingly receive the cable through it.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
177 words
Sternotomy closure comprising: a flexible multi-strand cable for extending across behind the junction of two halves of a longitudinally split sternum, and the forward around portions of each half of the sternum to the front of the sternum and pulling the two halves of the sternum together, the cable having two end portions and ends; an apertured bar on the cable receiving the end portions of the cable through the bar; two crimps, one of the crimps being fixed on each end portion of the cable adjacent the end of the cable, the crimps being abuttingly engaged with the bar and maintaining position of the cable ends relative to each other to thereby hold the two halves of the sternum together at the junction for healing; the crimps having a tubular portion with a flange at one end radially extending from the tubular portion; the tubular portions being swaged onto the cable at the end of the cable; and the bar being mounted on the cable between the flanges of the crimps and gripped between the flanges.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
177 words
Sternotomy closure comprising: a flexible multi-strand cable for extending across behind the junction of two halves of a longitudinally split sternum, and the forward around portions of each half of the sternum to the front of the sternum and pulling the two halves of the sternum together, the cable having two end portions and ends; an apertured bar on the cable receiving the end portions of the cable through the bar; two crimps, one of the crimps being fixed on each end portion of the cable adjacent the end of the cable, the crimps being abuttingly engaged with the bar and maintaining position of the cable ends relative to each other to thereby hold the two halves of the sternum together at the junction for healing; the crimps having a tubular portion with a flange at one end radially extending from the tubular portion; the tubular portions being swaged onto the cable at the end of the cable; and the bar being mounted on the cable between the flanges of the crimps and gripped between the flanges.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of securing closed for healing, a sternum which has been split into two halves, and comprising the steps of: a. passing a needle from in front of one side of the sternum to the back of the one side and then across to the back of the other side of the sternum and then forward to a location in front of the other side of the sternum; b. pulling a multi-stranded cable along the path of the needle until a trailing end of the cable is stopped in front of the sternum; c. pulling a length of the cable through a hole in a stop member; d. closing the two halves of the sternum together at the split for healing; e. applying tension to the cable to hold the two halves of the sternum together; and f. fixing to the cable, means to hold the cable.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
148 words
A method of securing closed for healing, a sternum which has been split into two halves, and comprising the steps of: a. passing a needle from in front of one side of the sternum to the back of the one side and then across to the back of the other side of the sternum and then forward to a location in front of the other side of the sternum; b. pulling a multi-stranded cable along the path of the needle until a trailing end of the cable is stopped in front of the sternum; c. pulling a length of the cable through a hole in a stop member; d. closing the two halves of the sternum together at the split for healing; e. applying tension to the cable to hold the two halves of the sternum together; and f. fixing to the cable, means to hold the cable.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 4 and wherein: steps a., b., and c. are performed at a plurality of locations longitudinally of the sternum before step d.; and steps e. and f. are performed at the locations after step d.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 4 and wherein the step of fixing further comprises the steps of: placing an abutment member located on the cable at a stop fixed to the trailing end of the cable; locating a crimp on the cable at the abutment member; swaging the crimp to the cable while the crimp is abuttingly engaging the abutment member and the abutment member is abuttingly engaging the stop.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 6 and further comprising the step of: cutting the cable at the crimp.