Patent ID: 8287541

Claim:
A bone fixation device comprising: a generally tubular body having a circumferential surface, an inner lumen, and a wall extending therebetween, the body being sized to fit within an intramedullary space within a bone, the body having a longitudinal axis; at least one radially expandable gripper disposed within the body for engaging a surface of the intramedullary space; an actuator comprising a distal actuator head, the distal actuator head comprising a ramped surface slideably disposed on an interior of the at least one radially expandable gripper, the actuator configured to outwardly actuate the at least one radially expandable gripper away from the longitudinal axis and away from the body; a slit through the body wall extending through at least one complete revolution around the circumferential surface and axially along at least a portion of the body; and a compression mechanism configured to apply an axial compression to the body to move the slit towards a closed position, thereby transforming the body from a generally flexible state to a generally rigid state.