Patent ID: 8679121

Claim:
A method of performing surgery on a femur comprising a medullary canal and cortical bone surrounding cancellous bone, the cortical bone defining a greater trochanter, a lesser trochanter, a femoral head and a femoral neck, said method comprising: positioning an intramedullary nail in the medullary canal of a femur, the nail comprising an elongate body having a proximal portion, a distal portion and a longitudinal axis, the proximal portion bent in a plane to form an acute angle between a longitudinal centerline of the distal portion and a longitudinal centerline of the proximal portion, said elongate body having a first transverse opening therethrough in the proximal portion, the first opening defining a first opening centerline, said elongate body having a second transverse opening therethrough in the proximal portion, the second opening defining a second opening centerline, wherein the first opening centerline and the second opening centerline do not intersect and are not coplanar with respect to each other, and wherein the longitudinal axis of said elongate body and the first opening centerline forming an acute angle therebetween and the longitudinal axis of said elongate body and the second opening centerline forming an acute angle therebetween; positioning a first bone fastener through the greater trochanter of the femur, through the elongate body along the first opening centerline, and into engagement with cortical one of the lesser trochanter of the femur; and positioning a second bone fastener through the elongate body along the second opening centerline, through the femoral neck of the femur, and into the femoral head of the femur, a longitudinal axis of the second bone fastener disposed in the plane, wherein the first and second bone fasteners form a generally x-shaped configuration when viewed transverse to the plane.