Instrumentation for fixation devices

1. An instrument assembly for bone drilling comprising:

a soft tissue sleeve defining an internal channel;

a hollow knob coupled to the sleeve, the knob threadably movable relative to the sleeve, the knob including an internal threaded portion;

a driver for performing a bone drilling operation at a drill site, the driver having a shaft including a portion received in the internal channel and having helical irrigation grooves substantially along its entire length; and

a hollow irrigation cap selectively and removably coupled to the sleeve, the irrigation cap having an axial bore aligned with the internal channel of the sleeve and receiving the driver shaft through the axial bore, the irrigation cap including an externally threaded portion threadably coupled to an internal threaded portion of the sleeve, the irrigation cap having a delivery port communicating with the axial bore, the irrigation cap connectable to an irrigation source for delivering irrigation to the internal channel, the port in fluid communication with the internal channel and with the irrigation grooves of the driver for providing irrigation to the drill site.

2. The instrument assembly of claim 1 , wherein the driver includes a distal tip engageable with a head of a self-tapping bone screw.

3. The instrument assembly of claim 2 , wherein the portion of the shaft received in the internal channel has a substantially constant diameter.

4. The instrument assembly of claim 2 , in combination with the bone screw.

5. An instrument assembly comprising:

an internal fixation device engageable with a bone, the internal fixation device including a plurality of holes for bone fasteners, at least one hole including a spherical inner wall;

a temporary fixator including a tubular component defining an internal bore, the tubular component including a rounded distal tip adapted to contact and engage the spherical inner wall; and

a shaft having a bone-gripping tip for engagement with the bone, the shaft passing through the internal bore and threadably coupled with a portion of the bore of the tubular component such that rotating the tubular component adjusts a position of the internal fixation device relative to the bone.

6. The instrument assembly of claim 5 , wherein the temporary fixator can engage the inner wall at any orientation relative to the internal fixation device.

7. An instrument assembly for internal bone fixation comprising:

a driver having a driver shaft;

an internal fixation device attachable to a bone, the fixation device including a first hole defining a spherically shaped inner wall;

a temporary fixator including a tubular component and a fixator shaft with a bone-gripping tip, the fixator shaft received in the tubular component and movable relative to the tubular component, the tubular component having a spherical tip for rotatably contacting the inner wall of the first hole of the internal fixation device at any orientation relative to the fixation device;

a soft tissue sleeve having an internal channel configured to receive selectively the driver and the temporary fixator; and

a targeting device having a plurality of side-entry slots configured to receive the soft tissue sleeve sideways.

8. The instrument assembly of claim 7 , wherein the soft tissue sleeve includes a threaded portion and a knob for securing the soft tissue sleeve in one of the side-entry slots of the targeting device.

9. The instrument assembly of claim 7 , wherein the driver includes a tip engageable with a head of a self-drilling bone screw.

10. The instrument assembly of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of the side-entry slots correspond to a plurality of holes in the fixation device.

11. The instrument assembly of claim 7 , wherein the driver shaft includes a portion with helical irrigation grooves.

12. The instrument assembly of claim 11 , further comprising an irrigation cap having an axial bore, the irrigation cap selectively and removably connectable to the soft tissue sleeve when the driver is received in the internal channel, the driver shaft passing through the axial bore, the irrigation cap having a delivery port for connection to an irrigation source.

13. The instrument assembly of claim 12 , wherein the portion of the driver shaft with the irrigation grooves is insertable in the internal channel of the soft sleeve and has a substantially constant diameter.

14. The instrument assembly of claim 7 , wherein the fixator shaft includes a first threaded portion terminating at the bone gripping tip, a second threaded portion, and an unthreaded portion between the first and second threaded portions, wherein the second threaded portion has a larger diameter than the unthreaded portion of the fixator shaft.

15. The instrument assembly of claim 14 , wherein the second threaded portion is rotationally engaged with internal threads of the tubular component.

16. The instrument assembly of claim 7 , wherein the tubular component is threadably coupled to the fixator shaft, such that rotating the tubular component moves the tubular component relative to the shaft.

17. An instrument assembly for internal bone fixation comprising:

an internal fixation device attachable to a bone, the fixation device including a hole defining a spherically shaped inner wall; and

a temporary fixator including a tubular component and a fixator shaft having a bone-gripping tip, the tubular component including a gripping portion with internal threading rotatably coupled to a proximal threaded portion of the fixator shaft, the tubular component having a spherical tip for rotatably contacting the inner wall of the first hole of the internal fixation device at any orientation relative to the fixation device, such that rotating the tubular component relative to the fixator shaft adjusts a position of the internal fixation device relative to the bone in any direction.

18. The instrument assembly of claim 17 , wherein the fixator shaft includes a distal threaded portion terminating at the bone gripping tip, and an unthreaded portion between the proximal and distal threaded portions, wherein the proximal threaded portion has a larger diameter than the unthreaded portion of the fixator shaft.

19. The instrument assembly of claim 18 , further comprising a soft tissue sleeve and a driver, the soft sleeve having an internal channel configured to receive selectively a driver and the temporary fixator.

20. The instrument assembly of claim 19 , wherein the driver includes a shaft having helical irrigation grooves.

21. The instrument assembly of claim 20 , further comprising a hollow irrigation cap selectively and removably coupled to the sleeve, the irrigation cap having an axial bore aligned with the internal channel of the sleeve and receiving the driver shaft through the axial bore, the irrigation cap including an externally threaded portion threadably coupled to an internal threaded portion of the sleeve, the irrigation cap having a delivery port communicating with the axial bore, the irrigation cap connectable to an irrigation source for delivering irrigation to the internal channel, the port in fluid communication with the internal channel.