Instruments for Use with Flexible Steel Wire in Bone Surgery

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cuyahoga County Hospital, City Hospital, Cleveland

A wire tightener has been developed which tightens and then twists the ends of wire loops in a manner which is reproducible from loop to loop, and which does not place excessive strain on the basic twist where loops are liable to be weakened so that they subsequently break. Fifteen years of surgical experience have proved the dependability of this instrument and the value of its unique features. It provides strong and reliable fixation of bone fragments in a diversity of surgical procedures in which wire loops have the virtues of introducing a minimum of foreign material and of holding bone fragments in constant contact. The tightener is designed for use with 18-gauge and 20-gauge surgical stainless- steel wire, which sizes have been found most suitable for internal fixation of the major bones of the upper and lower extremities.

Two devices have also been developed which expand the field of usefulness of the tightener. The wire-washer set provides strong longitudinal fixation through a single drill hole in bone. The C clamp, with removable drill guide and special drill, aids in reducing certain fractures about major joints, and in holding the fragments securely during appropriate internal fixation. These two devices are of limited application but of great usefulness in specific situations.

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