Intramedullary autograft harvester

1. An intramedullary autograft harvesting instrument comprising:

a cutting rod including a body and a cutting head with helical threads, the body having a first outer diameter and the cutting head having a second outer diameter, the second outer diameter being larger than the first outer diameter;

a harvesting member slidably disposed about a portion of the body of the cutting rod; and

an outer tube disposed about the harvesting member.

2. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the first outer diameter is constant along a length of the body of the cutting rod.

3. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the cutting head is disposed at a distal end of the cutting rod, the cutting head being configured to direct harvested material along the body of the cutting rod in a distal-proximal direction.

4. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the cutting rod is cannulated along its length to define a bore extending through the body and the cutting head.

5. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the harvesting member includes one or more helical threads defining one or more helical channels therebetween, such that the outer surface of the harvesting member is configured to transport harvested material away from a distal end of the cutting rod and in a proximal direction.

6. The instrument of claim 5 , wherein the one or more helical channels are further bounded by an internal surface of a lumen of the outer tube.

7. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the helical threads of the cutting head terminates at a tip that is engagable with a distal end of one of the helical threads of the harvesting member to facilitate rotation of the cutting head and the harvesting member.

8. The instrument of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the body of the cutting rod, the harvesting member, and the outer tube is comprised at least in part of a flexible material.

9. The instrument of claim 8 , wherein the flexible material includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polyvenylchloride (PVC), and polyurethane (PU).

10. The instrument of claim 9 , wherein the flexible material is reinforced with fibers selected from the group consisting of textile, metal, and plastic.

11. The instrument of claim 8 , wherein the flexible material includes superelastic metal.

12. An assembly comprising:

the intramedullary autograft harvesting instrument of claim 1 ,

wherein the outer tube is disposed about the harvesting member such that at least some threads of the harvesting member are in contact with an inner surface of a lumen of the outer tube,

wherein an outer surface of the body of the cutting rod is disposed within a lumen of the harvesting member such that at least a portion of the outer surface of the body and an inner surface of the lumen of the harvesting member are in contact.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein rotation between any two or more of the cutting rod, the harvesting member, and the outer tube is permitted.

14. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein rotation is not permitted between the cutting rod and the harvesting member.

15. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a receptacle configured for attachment to a proximal end of the instrument for collecting harvested material.

16. The instrument of claim 1 , further comprising a guidewire.

17. An intramedullary autograft harvesting instrument comprising:

a cutting rod including a body having a first outer diameter and a cutting head having a second outer diameter, the second outer diameter being larger than the first outer diameter;

a harvesting member slidably disposed about a portion of the body of the cutting rod, the harvesting member including one or more helical threads that define one or more helical channels configured to transport harvested material away from a distal end of the cutting rod and in a proximal direction; and

an outer tube disposed about the harvesting member.