TODAY’S PATENT – SURGICAL INSTRUMENT

This invention “Surgical instrument” was invented by Gilbert M. Aust and Timothy E. Taylor assigned to Zimmer Spine Inc and was granted a patent on 08^th April 1997 by USPTO bearing patent grant number US5618294A to the patentee.

A surgical instrument includes a handle, a first stem section having a longitudinal axis extending from the handle, and a tissue-engaging member for engaging tissue. A second stem section, connected between the first stem section and the tissue-engaging member, has a portion that is bendable and supports the tissue-engaging member for movement between a plurality of orientations relative to the axis and to the first stem section. The surgical instrument includes a system for bending the bendable portion of the second stem section to change the orientation of the tissue-engaging member relative to the axis and to the first stem section from a first orientation to a second orientation.

The bendable portion of the second stem section includes a member for enabling bending movement of the bendable portion to locate the tissue-engaging member at the same angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the first stem section at more than one location along the length of the bendable portion.