| abstract |
Apparatus for storing, mixing, and dispensing a two-component bone cement includes a first component supply section, a mixing section, and a drive base. One or more ampules of the first (liquid) component, provided within the first component supply section, are broken or cut when a lever is rotted. The second (powder) component is provided within the mixing section. During the mixing process, a vacuum is applied within the mixing section, assisting in the delivery of the first component through a filter while preventing the passage of broken glass or plastic from the ampules. Mixing is done by a pair of paddles and a helical wire spring rotating within the mixing station, being driven in one direction, or in alternating opposite directions of rotation, by the drive base. The resulting mixture is dispensed by placing the mixing station, without the drive base and the first component supply section, into a dispensing gun, which drives a shaft moving a piston within the mixing section to dispense the mixture through a dispensing tube while collapsing the helical spring. A plug within the piston is pushed through the dispensing tube to clear the mixture remaining therein. In an alterative arrangement, mixing occurs under vacuum conditions in a bowl having an internal surface similarly scraped with a flexible wire. |