Patent ID: 8641720

Claim:
A surgical instrument for implanting a spinal fixation rod, comprising: an engagement assembly including a motion inhibitor configured to releasably engage the spinal fixation rod, a first engagement wall and a second engagement wall spaced from the first engagement wall so as to define a rod receiving gap that extends between the first and second engagement walls, the rod receiving gap configured and sized to receive a portion of the spinal fixation rod and to permit the spinal fixation rod to pivot therein between a plurality of spinal rod orientations, the engagement assembly further including at least one retaining wall and an engagement surface carried by the first engagement wall, the at least one retaining wall being spaced from the engagement surface so as to define a retaining gap that extends between the at least one retaining wall and the engagement surface, the retaining gap being shaped to match and receive a complementary surface of the portion of the spinal fixation rod such that the spinal fixation rod can be removed from the engagement assembly only when the spinal fixation rod is in one of the plurality of rod orientations; a transfer assembly comprising a shaft operably coupled to the motion inhibitor; and an actuator operably coupled to the shaft so as to translate the shaft upon actuation of the actuator; and wherein movement of the shaft causes at least one of the first and second engagement walls to move toward the other of the first and second engagement walls between a first position in which the rod receiving gap has a first size and a second position in which the rod receiving gap has a second size, the second size being less than the first size.