Patent ID: 7255701

Claim:
A surgical method for reclamping a surgical cable clamp with an orthopedic surgical cable without substantially deforming the orthopedic surgical cable for installation with respect to a patient's body, comprising: providing an orthopedic surgical cable and a surgical cable clamp, the surgical cable clamp comprising a clamping body, a clamping mechanism, and a force application member; mounting the surgical cable clamp relative to a bone in a patient's body; restraining a first portion of the orthopedic surgical cable relative to the clamping body; capturing a second portion of the orthopedic surgical cable between the clamping mechanism and the clamping body, wherein the orthopedic surgical cable is wrapped around an entire circumference of the bone; connecting the force application member to the clamping body and the clamping mechanism; gripping the second portion of the orthopedic surgical cable between the clamping body and clamping mechanism by manipulating the force application member in a first direction so that the gripping is subject to gradual control by manipulation of the force application member and the gripping does not cause nonalignment of the clamp relative to the orthopedic surgical cable, thus maintaining a first tension in the orthopedic surgical cable; releasing the first tension in the orthopedic surgical cable by manipulating the force application member in an opposing direction to the first direction so that the orthopedic surgical cable can be repositioned between the clamping mechanism and the clamping body; and gripping the second portion of the orthopedic surgical cable between the clamping body and clamping mechanism by manipulating the force application member in the first direction so that consequent gripping is subject to gradual control by manipulation of the force application member and the gripping does not cause nonalignment of the clamp relative to the orthopedic surgical cable, thus maintaining a second tension in the orthopedic surgical cable.