Patent ID: 11890144
Assignee: PRO-DEX, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  B  G | IPC A  G

Claim 10:
11. A method of operating a torque-limiting device to inhibit a breach of a spinal column, the torque-limiting device comprising a body with a handle, a motor, a drive head that is operatively connected with the motor and is configured to drill a drilling implement into a bone of the spinal column, and a processor, wherein under the control of the processor the method comprises:
drilling the drilling implement into the bone of the spinal column, wherein the bone comprises a cancellous layer and a cortical layer;
detecting a first torque value when the drilling implement is drilling into the cancellous layer;
detecting a second torque value when the drilling implement is drilling into the cortical layer;
detecting a change from the first torque value to the second torque value as at least a portion of the drilling implement is entering the cortical layer of the bone; and
in response to detecting the at least the portion of the drilling implement entering the cortical layer of the bone, stopping the drilling of the drilling implement into the bone, thereby inhibiting the breach of the spinal column.