Patent ID: 11925345
Assignee: MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, LP
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 2:
3. A method for performing a surgical procedure on a patient, comprising:
providing an orthopedic implant, the orthopedic implant comprising:
a spacer portion having a superior portion and an inferior portion; and
a staple portion formed of a metal material that has superelastic properties at body temperatures, said staple portion comprising a crown portion, a first leg portion, and a second leg portion, the first and second leg portions having distal ends that converge from the crown portion, the crown portion being connected to the spacer portion proximal said superior portion, the spacer portion extending beyond the crown portion in an inferior direction generally towards the distal ends of the first and second leg portions;
a second staple portion including a third leg portion and a fourth leg portion, the spacer portion positioned between the staple portion and the second staple portion;

surgically exposing one or more bones or bone segments;
cutting said at least one or more bones or bone segments to create an opening;
using an insertion tool to position the spacer portion of the orthopedic implant in the opening and to position both the first leg portion and the third leg portion in a first of the one or more bones or bone segments and the second leg portion and the fourth leg portion in a second of the one or more bones or bone segments, the first leg portions and the second leg portions imparting a first compressive biasing force on the first and second of the one or more bones or bone segments, the third leg portion and the fourth leg portion imparting a second compressive biasing force on the first and second of the one or more bones or bone segments, and the spacer portion maintaining a spaced apart relationship between the first and second of the one or more bones or bone segments; and
releasing the orthopedic implant from the insertion tool.