Customized patient-specific bone cutting blocks

1. A method for a vendor to create a customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument for a patient of a healthcare facility that is external to the vendor, comprising:

receiving, from the healthcare facility external to the vendor, an instrument request that includes data relevant to a bone of the patient,

creating, in response to receiving the instrument request, a surgical design plan that has been customized for the patient per data of the instrument request, the surgical design plan comprising a preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the bone of the patient consistent with the surgical design plan,

operating a manufacturing machine located at the vendor to fabricate the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument per data of the surgical design plan, and

applying indicia on an outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the bone of the patient consistent with the surgical design plan.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying indicia comprises etching indicia on the outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the bone of the patient consistent with the surgical design plan.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying indicia comprises painting indicia on the outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the bone of the patient consistent with the surgical design plan.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying indicia comprises engraving indicia on the outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the bone of the patient consistent with the surgical design plan.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the data relevant to the bone of the patient comprises one or more medical images of the bone of the patient, and

creating the surgical design plan comprises creating the surgical design plan based upon the one or more medical images of the bone of the patient.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the data relevant to the bone of the patient comprises one or more medical images of the femur of the patient,

creating the surgical design plan comprises creating a surgical design plan that comprises a preoperatively planned size and shape of (i) a distal medial bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the distal medial portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan, and (ii) a distal lateral bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the distal lateral portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan, and

applying indicia comprises (i) applying indicia on an outer medial surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of the distal medial bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the distal medial portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan, and (ii) applying indicia on an outer lateral surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of the distal lateral bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the distal lateral portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

creating the surgical design plan comprises creating a surgical design plan that comprises a preoperatively planned size and shape of (i) a posterior medial bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the posterior medial portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan, and (ii) a posterior lateral bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the posterior lateral portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan, and

applying indicia comprises (i) applying indicia on an outer medial surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of the posterior medial bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the posterior medial portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan, and (ii) applying indicia on an outer lateral surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of the posterior lateral bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the posterior lateral portion of the patient's distal femur consistent with the surgical design plan.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the data relevant to the bone of the patient comprises one or more medical images of the tibia of the patient,

creating the surgical design plan comprises creating a surgical design plan that comprises a preoperatively planned size and shape of a bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the proximal medial portion and the proximal lateral portion of the patient's proximal tibia consistent with the surgical design plan, and

applying indicia comprises (i) applying indicia on an outer anterior surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of the bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of the proximal medial portion and the proximal lateral portion of the patient's proximal tibia consistent with the surgical design plan.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying indicia indicative of a resection alignment line on the outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument.

10. A method of a fabricating a customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument for use in performing an orthopaedic surgical procedure on a bone of a patient, comprising:

preoperatively planning the size and shape of each of a plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the bone of the patient,

operating a manufacturing machine to fabricate the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument per data based on the preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip, and

applying a plurality of indicia on an outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument, each of the plurality of indicia being indicative of one of the preoperatively planned sizes and shapes of the plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the bone of the patient.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein applying a plurality of indicia comprises etching a plurality of indicia on an outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument, each of the plurality of indicia being indicative of one of the preoperatively planned sizes and shapes of the plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the bone of the patient.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein applying a plurality of indicia comprises painting a plurality of indicia on an outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument, each of the plurality of indicia being indicative of one of the preoperatively planned sizes and shapes of the plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the bone of the patient.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein applying a plurality of indicia comprises engraving a plurality of indicia on an outer surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument, each of the plurality of indicia being indicative of one of the preoperatively planned sizes and shapes of the plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the bone of the patient.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

preoperatively planning the size and shape of each of a plurality of bone chips comprises preoperatively planning the size and shape of each of a plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the femur of the patient, and applying indicia comprises (i) applying indicia on an outer medial surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of a distal medial bone chip produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the distal femur of the patient, and (ii) applying indicia on an outer lateral surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of a distal lateral bone chip produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the distal femur of the patient.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

preoperatively planning the size and shape of each of a plurality of bone chips comprises preoperatively planning the size and shape of each of a plurality of bone chips produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the femur of the patient, and applying indicia comprises (i) applying indicia on an outer medial surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of a posterior medial bone chip produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the distal femur of the patient, and (ii) applying indicia on an outer lateral surface of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument indicative of the preoperatively planned size and shape of a posterior lateral bone chip produced as a result of use of the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument to cut the distal femur of the patient.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument includes (i) a body having a bone-facing surface that includes a negative contour configured to receive a portion of a patient's bone having a corresponding contour, (ii) a cutting slot, and (iii) indicia applied to the body, the indicia being indicative of a preoperatively planned size and shape of at least one bone chip produced as a result of a surgical resection of a patient's bone through the cutting slot.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument comprises a customized patient-specific femoral cutting block.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the customized patient-specific orthopaedic instrument comprises a customized patient-specific tibial cutting block.