Surgical saw system including a reciprocating saw blade cartridge

1. A surgical saw system comprising:

a saw including:

a housing;

a motor disposed within the housing; and

a reciprocating shaft selectively reciprocated by the motor;

a blade cartridge including:

a bar including a first holding feature; and

a rack, the rack moveably disposed within the bar along a proximal-to-distal longitudinal axis of the bar and is in removable engagement with the reciprocating shaft; and

an attachment disposed between and connecting the bar of the blade cartridge to the saw housing, the attachment including:

a coupling feature in selective releasable engagement with the first holding feature of the bar such that the coupling feature engages the first holding feature to hold the bar static when the reciprocating shaft is reciprocated by the motor to move the rack in a reciprocal motion along the proximal-to-distal longitudinal axis of the bar.

2. The saw system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling feature of the attachment defines an opening dimensioned to receive the first holding feature of the bar.

3. The saw system of claim 1 , wherein the coupling feature of the attachment is a finger that is dimensioned to seat in an opening defined in the bar of the blade cartridge, the opening being the first holding feature of the blade cartridge.

4. The saw system of claim 1 , wherein the attachment further comprises a body including a first coupling feature in releasable engagement with a distal end of the housing to releasably hold the body of the attachment to the saw.

5. The saw system of claim 4 , wherein the attachment includes two shells that form the body of the attachment, each of the shells includes a planar base and two wings that extend outwardly from opposed sides of the planar base.

6. The saw system of claim 5 , wherein each of the shells is shaped so that as the wings extends away from the planar base of the shell, the wings curve away from the planar base; and

wherein, when assembled, ends of the each of the wings of each of the shells face the ends of the wings of the other shell.

7. The saw system of claim 5 , wherein the attachment further comprises a hand that extends distally forward from each shell, each hand includes a rectangular palm; and

wherein each of the palms are dimensioned to seat over an exposed surface of the shell from which the hand extends.

8. The saw system of claim 7 , wherein each of the hands comprises a finger that extends forward from each palm, each of the fingers has a main section that extends along a longitudinal axis that is parallel to a proximal-to-distal longitudinal axis through the saw.

9. The saw system of claim 8 , wherein each of the fingers includes a tip that extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of a main section of the finger; and

a rib, that defines the coupling feature, protrudes forward from an end face of the tip of each of the fingers and the fingers are arranged so that the opposed ribs of each of the fingers face each other and engage the first holding feature of the bar to hold the bar static relative to the saw.

10. The saw system of claim 4 , wherein the first coupling feature includes components attached to the body to clamp the body to the surgical saw.

11. The saw system of claim 1 , wherein the rack of the blade cartridge further comprises:

a base; and

a head extending from the base and located outside of a perimeter of the bar and having cutting teeth with a width defining a kerf cut by the teeth of sufficient width to accommodate the perimeter of the bar adjacent the head.

12. The saw system of claim 11 , wherein:

one of the base and the bar includes an opening; and

the other of the base and the bar includes a static member extending into the opening so as to retain the rack in the bar, and the opening and the static member are collectively shaped to allow the rack to engage in reciprocal movement along the proximal-to-distal longitudinal axis of the bar.

13. A surgical saw including:

a blade cartridge including:

a bar including a first holding feature; and

a rack, the rack moveably disposed within the bar along a proximal-to-distal longitudinal axis of the bar; and

a drive link; and

a housing;

an attachment releasably coupled to the housing for releasably holding the bar of the blade cartridge to the housing;

a motor disposed in the housing; and

a reciprocating shaft connected to the motor for reciprocation by the motor;

wherein the drive link is disposed between and connecting the reciprocating shaft to the rack of the blade cartridge, the drive link arranged to impart reciprocal motion of the reciprocating shaft to the rack of the blade cartridge.

14. The surgical saw of claim 13 , wherein the attachment comprises a coupling feature, the coupling feature defining an opening that is dimensioned to receive a first holding feature integral with the bar of the blade cartridge.

15. The surgical saw of claim 13 , wherein the attachment comprises a coupling feature, the coupling feature including a rib extending from a finger that is dimensioned to seat in a slot defined in the bar of the blade cartridge, the slot being a first holding feature of the blade cartridge.

16. The surgical saw of claim 13 , wherein the rack of the blade cartridge further comprises:

a base; and

a head extending from the base and located outside of a perimeter of the bar and having cutting teeth with a width defining a kerf cut by the teeth of sufficient width to accommodate the perimeter of the bar adjacent the head.

17. The surgical saw of claim 16 , wherein:

one of the base and the bar includes an opening; and

the other of the base and the bar includes a static member extending into the opening so as to retain the rack in the bar, and the opening and the static member are collectively shaped to allow the rack to engage in reciprocal movement from proximal to distal to proximal along a longitudinal axis of the bar.

18. A surgical saw system including:

a blade cartridge including a bar and a rack at least partially disposed within the bar;

a saw including a reciprocating shaft, the reciprocating shaft for imparting a reciprocal motion to the rack of the blade cartridge;

an attachment connecting the blade cartridge to the saw, the attachment for releasably holding the bar of a blade cartridge static relative to the saw when the rack is reciprocated along a proximal-to-distal longitudinal axis of the bar by the saw;

a drive link disposed between and connecting the reciprocating shaft to the rack of the blade cartridge; and

wherein the reciprocating shaft includes an engagement feature for releasably coupling the drive link to the reciprocating shaft, the drive link arranged to translate the reciprocal motion of the reciprocating shaft and the rack of the blade cartridge.

19. The surgical saw system of claim 18 , wherein the rack of the blade cartridge further comprises:

a base; and

a head extending from the base and located outside of a perimeter of the bar and having cutting teeth with a width defining a kerf cut by the teeth of sufficient width to accommodate the perimeter of the bar adjacent the head.

20. The surgical saw system of claim 19 , wherein:

one of the base and the bar includes an opening; and

the other of the base and the bar includes a static member extending into the opening so as to retain the rack in the bar, and the opening and the static member are collectively shaped to allow the rack to engage in reciprocal movement from proximal to distal to proximal along a longitudinal axis of the bar.