Medical implant system

Abstract

An implant including a bone fixture configured to anchor to bone of a recipient, and a structural component configured to be connected to the bone fixture and connect a functional component of the implant to the bone fixture, wherein at least one of the bone fixture or the structural component includes a deformable element configured to deform to form an anti-microbial seal between the bone fixture and the structural component, and the at least one deformable element and the respective at least one bone fixture or structural component form a monolithic structure.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method of attaching an abutment to an implanted bone fixture to form a percutaneous implant, comprising:
 positioning the abutment in contact with the implanted bone fixture; and   applying a torque of about 15 Ncm or more to a component of the percutaneous implant threadably engaged with the implanted bone fixture, thereby driving the abutment towards the bone fixture via reaction against the implanted bone fixture, wherein the applied torque is sufficient to at least one of:
 deform material of at least one of the bone fixture and the abutment to form an anti-microbial seal between the bone fixture and the abutment; or 
 deform material of at least one of an abutment screw and the abutment to form an anti-microbial seal between the abutment screw and the abutment. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the anti-microbial seal is gas tight.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the applied torque is about 25 Ncm or more. 
     
     
         21 . An implant, comprising:
 a bone fixture configured to anchor to bone of a recipient;   a structural component configured to be connected to the bone fixture and connect a functional component of the implant to the bone fixture; and   a screw configured to bolt the structural component to the bone fixture, wherein   a path for microorganisms would extend from, with respect to a longitudinal axis of the implant, an outboard interface of the screw and the structural component and, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the implant, an outboard interface of the bone fixture with the structural component, but for one or more sealing features of the implant.   
     
     
         22 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by at least a deformed portion of the bone fixture, a deformed portion of the structural component or a deformed portion of the screw.   
     
     
         23 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by at least two of a deformed portion of the bone fixture, a deformed portion of the structural component or a deformed portion of the screw.   
     
     
         24 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by at least a deformed portion at an interface of the bone fixture and the structural component.   
     
     
         25 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by at least a deformed portion at an interface of the bone fixture and the structural component and at least a deformed portion of the bone fixture or a deformed portion of the structural component.   
     
     
         26 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the bone fixture and the structural component have a male-female relationship.   
     
     
         27 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 there is only one sealing feature.   
     
     
         28 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by at least a deformed portion of the bone fixture or a deformed portion of the structural component, wherein the deformation was established via rotation of the screw that drove the bone fixture and the structural component towards each other.   
     
     
         29 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 a base of a head of the screw is planar.   
     
     
         30 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by an annular ring that had a dimension of between 0.01 mm to about 0.1 mm in an undeformed state.   
     
     
         31 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 a surface of the structural component is configured to improve skin tissue integration.   
     
     
         32 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 a surface of the structural component is coated to improve skin tissue integration.   
     
     
         33 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by a deformable element that is monolithic with one of the structural component or the fixture and deformed against a corresponding contact surface of the other of the structural component or the fixture.   
     
     
         34 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by deformation of structure of the implant, and all or substantially all of an overall deformation occurs in one of the structural component or the bone fixture.   
     
     
         35 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by deformation of structure of the implant resulting from an application of a torque onto the screw of greater than about 15 Ncm.   
     
     
         36 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by deformation of structure of the implant resulting from an application of a torque onto the screw of greater than about 20 Ncm.   
     
     
         37 . The implant of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the sealing feature(s) is established by deformation of structure of the implant resulting from an application of a torque onto the screw of about 15 Ncm to about 30 Ncm.