Device for implanting compression plate within a body

1. A delivery device for delivering a compression plate to a fracture line in a bone, the delivery device comprising:

a body that retains a compression plate in a recess in a strained condition, the body including a first portion and a second portion defining the recess therebetween, wherein the first portion and the second portion are moveable relative to each other to change a dimension of the recess to compress the compression plate from an unstrained condition to the strained condition;

a threaded fastener that is turned to move the first portion and the second portion towards each other and reduce the dimension of the recess and compress the compression plate from the unstrained condition to the strained condition; and

an alignment feature that aligns the first portion and the second portion relative to each other.

2. The delivery device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first portion and the second portion each include a groove to receive a portion of a bridge member of the compression plate.

3. The delivery device as recited in claim 1 wherein the first portion and the second portion each include a surface that acts as a stop to prevent movement of the first portion and the second portion towards each other.

4. The delivery device as recited in claim 1 wherein each of the first portion and the second portion include an aperture that receives the threaded fastener.

5. The delivery device as recited in claim 1 wherein the alignment features comprises two rods.

6. A method of repairing a fracture line in a bone, the method comprising:

loading a compression plate between a body and a cover plate of a delivery device to position the compression plate in a strained condition;

placing the compression plate over the fracture line;

axially moving a compression clip away from the compression plate;

releasing the cover plate from the body to allow the cover plate to move relative to the body; and

releasing the compression plate from the delivery device.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 comprising:

drilling holes through openings in the compression plate;

advancing threaded fasteners through the openings in the compression plate and into bone fragments to secure the compression plate to the bone fragments;

removing the delivery device; and

generating and maintaining compression across the facture line as the compression plate tries to return to an unstrained condition.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein releasing the cover plate comprises moving the cover plate away from the compression plate at a distal end of the body, wherein the cover plate is attached near or at a proximal end of the body.

9. The method as recited in claim 6 including locking the cover plate relative to the body with the compression clip.

10. The method as recited in claim 6 including moving the compression clip into a cavity of the body, riding two side portions of the compression clip on a first chamfered portion of a first beam of the body and a second chamfered portion of a second beam of the cover plate, respectively, and unlocking a distal region of the cover plate once the compression clip is spaced from the first beam and the second beam in the cavity of the body.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 including pressing an inner surface of the first beam against a side surface of a first elastic bridge member of the compression plate and pressing an inner surface of the second beam against a side surface of a second elastic bridge member of the compression plate to retain the compression plate in the strained condition,

wherein the first elastic bridge member and the second elastic bridge member are disposed on opposing sides of a center line, and the elastic bridge member is bowed outwardly relative to the center line when in an unstrained condition, and the compression plate has a more linear configuration when the compression plate is in the strained condition.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein the openings comprise a first opening and a second opening, including reversibly straining inwardly the first elastic bridge member and the second elastic bridge member of the compression plate prior to implantation to increase a distance between a first opposing region having the first opening and a second opposing region having the second opening, resulting in the compression plate being in the strained condition, and

wherein the first opening and the second opening are separated by a first distance when the compression plate is in the unstrained condition, the first opening and the second opening are separated by a second distance when the compression plate is in the strained condition, and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

13. The method as recited in claim 6 including:

rotating a knob of a female threaded feature to move a male stem and a head of a male threaded rod axially towards a proximal end of the body, wherein the head is located proximate to a distal end of the body and in a space defined by an upper portion and two side portions of the compression clip, and the male stem includes male threads and extends from the head, through an opening in the upper portion of the compression clip, and through the body of the delivery device,

engaging the male threads of the male threaded rod with female threads of a passage of a female stem of the female threaded feature, wherein the knob is located at one end region of the female stem, and the female threads are located at an opposing end region of the female stem, and

contacting the head with the upper portion of the compression clip to move the compression clip towards the proximal end of the body of the delivery device to release the compression clip.

14. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the compression plate is manufactured from a single piece of shape memory material.