Term #2,214
Fixation fixation device fastener fastener system
Claim Term
Fixation fixation device fastener fastener system
Origin matter
BONE RASP BLADE
Reference Case 1
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Date Added
3/12/25
Created
3/12/25, 6:35 PM
Modified
8/18/26, 4:51 PM
Full Desc
"Fixation," "fixation device," "fastener," or "fastener system" refers to an apparatus, instrument, structure, device, component, member, system, assembly, step, process, or module that is structured, configured, designed, arranged, or engineered to connect, join, engage, or couple two or more structures, either permanently or temporarily. The connected structures may be manmade and/or biological and may include hard tissues such as bone, teeth, or similar materials, as well as soft tissues such as ligaments, cartilage, tendons, or similar biological structures. In certain embodiments, fixation or fastening serves to secure two structures in a desired position and/or orientation, redistribute load or stress, maintain a desired level of tension or compression, and/or reduce relative motion between connected components.
A fixation device or fastener may be made of metal, plastic, composite materials, metal alloys, plastic composites, biocompatible materials, biodegradable materials, or other suitable materials. In some embodiments, a fixation device or fastener may be part of a fastener system that includes two or more structures that work together to function as a fastening mechanism. For example, a fastener system may include a rod or shaft having external threads and an opening or bore within another structure having corresponding internal threads configured to engage the external threads of the rod or shaft.
Fixation devices and fasteners may be used in internal or external fixation applications and may include, but are not limited to: screws, bone screws, set screws, rivets, bolts, nails, pins, Kirschner wires (K-wires), anchors, bone anchors, plates, bone plates, posts, thumb screws, nuts, intramedullary nails, rods, implants, sutures, soft sutures, soft anchors, tethers, interbody cages, fusion cages, staples, bone staples, hook-and-loop mechanisms, snaps, and similar structures. In certain embodiments, a fastener may include an adjective identifying an object or structure that the fastener is particularly configured, designed, or engineered to engage, connect, or couple with. For example, a "bone fastener" may refer to an apparatus for joining or connecting one or more bones, one or more bone portions, soft tissue and a bone or bone portion, hard tissue and a bone or bone portion, or an apparatus and a bone or portion of bone.
In certain embodiments, a fastener may be a temporary fastener, meaning that the fastener is configured to serve a fastening function for a relatively short period of time. A temporary fastener may be used until another procedure or operation is completed and/or until a particular event occurs. A temporary fastener may be designed for removal by a user or may be configured to disengage due to an external event, structural change, or mechanical interaction.