Patent ID: 8287543

Claim:
An implant for stabilization of an unstable bone fragment in relation to a stable bone fragment, said implant comprising an offset buttress pin comprising an elongated single wire element having opposite ends and extending longitudinally between said opposite ends, a U-shaped bend at one of said ends of the wire element and opposite legs extending longitudinally from the U-shaped bend toward the opposite end of the elongated wire element, said opposite legs each having a first portion that lies in a plane of the U-shaped bend and a second portion at the opposite end of the wire element that lies outside the plane of the U-shaped bend, said legs being bent downwardly from said first portion to form in said second portion predominantly linear distal ends at said opposite end of the wire element which depend from the first portion and form an angle with respect to the plane of the U-shaped bend, such that each leg of the wire element is predominantly of L shape, each of said distal ends being constructed and arranged to penetrate radially into the unstable bone fragment and are of sufficient length to constitute means for engaging in and buttressing the unstable bone fragment against transverse displacement towards the stable bone fragment, the arrangement of the legs being such as to satisfy at least one of two conditions in which 1) said first portion of said legs having a first region in proximity to said U-shaped bend and a second region in proximity to said second portion, said legs being spaced apart in said first region at a distance which is different from the spacing of the legs in said second region so that the distal ends of the legs are spaced apart by a distance different from the spacing of the legs in said first region and 2) the legs have a length from the U-shaped bend to the distal ends which are unequal.