Patent ID: 9452003
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. A device for preventing a hip fracture, comprising: a shaft having a first end and a second end, wherein the shaft is configured to be positioned in a hole of a predetermined depth in a femur, which is characterized, in part, by a femoral head, a greater trochanter, a femoral neck, and a femoral shaft, said hole extending from the greater trochanter to the femoral head, the shaft having a length such that, upon positioning of the shaft in the hole, the first end of the shaft is positioned in the femoral head and the second end is positioned in the greater trochanter; and an expanding means for engaging the femoral head at the first end, the expanding means comprising a plurality of portions, each of the plurality of portions having a distal end adjacent to the first end of the shaft, and each of the plurality of portions configured to separately flare radially outward; wherein the device is configured to be oriented along a generally horizontal axis that is substantially perpendicular to a long axis of the femoral shaft; and wherein, upon deployment of the expanding means, each distal end of each of the plurality of portions of the expanding means flares radially outward independently of each other distal end of the plurality of portions to collectively create an enlarged bearing face at the first end that engages the femoral head, such that the device is configured to buttress the femur and resist compressive stress along the generally horizontal axis.