Patent ID: 7344541

Claim:
A method for a knee arthroplasty procedure comprising: positioning at least one generally planar cutting guide surface that is adapted to interface with and guide a saw blade such that at least a portion of the at least one guide surface is positioned along one of a medial side or a lateral side and proximate an end of a long bone of a knee joint, the at least one guide surface also being positioned generally transverse to a long axis of the long bone with the portion of the at least one guide surface having a longer dimension generally along the at least one of the medial side or the lateral side and a shorter dimension generally transverse to the longer dimension; using a cutting tool having a saw blade with a cutting edge at a distal end of a long axis of the saw blade to create at least a portion of one resected surface on the end of the long bone by guiding the saw blade with at least the portion of the at least one guide surface and moving the saw blade in a direction along the long axis of the saw blade, the direction of the long axis of the saw blade being generally parallel to the shorter dimension; and implanting a knee arthroplasty implant on the at least one resected surface.