Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set Q-Series – 34-Piece Fractured Nail Fragment Extraction System, PS-675 Series

The Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set (Q-Series) is a 34-piece stainless steel orthopedic instrument set engineered exclusively for the surgical extraction of fractured intramedullary nail fragments — the most technically challenging scenario in implant removal surgery, in which the nail has failed by fatigue fracture and the distal fragment no longer has an accessible proximal extraction port. The set is built around a sixteen-rod connecting rod system spanning M1×3.5mm through M13×7mm, including taper variants and a left-handed M7×10mm rod, enabling secure threaded engagement with nail fragment bores of virtually any diameter encountered across contemporary femoral, tibial, and humeral nail systems. Supporting instruments include a cylindrical sliding hammer, a dedicated extractor with connecting rod handle, PFNA blade screwdrivers in left- and right-hand thread configurations, a blade extractor, and eight hex screwdriver shafts covering SW2.5 through SW8.0 × 150mm. All instruments carry individual PS-675 series part numbers, confirming catalog-grade traceability. The set is used by orthopedic trauma surgeons, revision surgery specialists, and specialist scrub technicians in hospital trauma centers, orthopedic revision suites, and tertiary referral centers. Sold as 1 complete set.

The Connecting Rod System: Threaded Engagement of Fractured Nail Fragments

The central clinical challenge in broken nail extraction is that the distal nail fragment — below the fracture plane — has no accessible extraction port and presents only its internal bore to the surgeon. The connecting rod system in this set solves that problem by providing sixteen rods spanning metric thread standards from M1×3.5mm through M13×7mm, each designed to be advanced into the fractured nail's bore under fluoroscopic guidance and engaged by rotational threading into the nail wall or internal channel to create a secure mechanical connection between the extractor assembly and the fragment. The diameter-to-shank progression across the rod series — M1×3.5mm (PS-675.01), taper 1×3.5mm (PS-675.03), M2×5mm (PS-675.05), taper 2×5mm (PS-675.07), M3×6mm (PS-675.09), M4×7mm (PS-675.11), M5×8mm (PS-675.13), M6×9mm (PS-675.15), left-handed M7×10mm (PS-675.17), M8×11mm (PS-675.19), M9×12mm (PS-675.21), M10×10mm (PS-675.23), M11×12mm (PS-675.25), M12×11mm (PS-675.27), M13×7mm (PS-675.29), and taper 3×9mm (PS-675.31) — provides step-wise size coverage that accommodates the internal bore diameters of femoral nails, tibial nails, humeral nails, and reconstruction nails from all major manufacturers. The left-handed thread on the M7×10mm rod (PS-675.17) is specifically designed for cases where clockwise rotation during fragment extraction would otherwise loosen the rod's purchase, as occurs when the fragment's bone-cement or endosteal engagement creates a torque reversal effect. Taper rods provide self-centering engagement in bores with minor deformation at the fracture surface.

Surgical Application: Fatigue Fracture, Nonunion Revision, and Distal Fragment Retrieval

Intramedullary nail fatigue fracture is a recognized complication of femoral and tibial nailing, occurring predominantly in cases of delayed union or established nonunion where cyclic loading continues over months without fracture consolidation. The incidence is highest in statically locked femoral nails in patients with active nonunion, where the nail bears the full mechanical load of weight-bearing across the fracture gap. When nail fracture occurs, it typically does so at the proximal interlocking screw hole — the zone of maximum stress concentration — producing a proximal fragment that retains the extraction port and a distal fragment that does not. Standard nail removal instruments address the proximal fragment readily; the distal fragment requires the specialized connecting rod engagement technique for which this set is designed. The procedure involves establishing the original nail entry portal, identifying the fractured nail end under fluoroscopy, selecting the appropriate connecting rod diameter from the PS-675 series, advancing the rod into the distal fragment bore, threading it to purchase, attaching the extractor assembly (PS-675.61) via the connecting rod handle (PS-675.63) and T-type quick coupling handle (PS-675.65), and delivering controlled axial extraction force through the cylindrical sliding hammer (PS-675.67). The blade extractor (PS-675.59) and PFNA blade screwdrivers in left- and right-hand thread configurations (PS-675.39 and PS-675.41) address cases involving proximal femoral nail anti-rotation blade fixation, where the helical blade must be disengaged before nail extraction can proceed.

Instrument Set Composition: PS-675 Series Part Numbers and Hex Screwdriver Range

Every instrument in this set carries an individual PS-675 catalog reference, confirming that the set is a structured surgical instrument system rather than a generic hardware collection. This traceability supports hospital inventory management, instrument set auditing, and individual component replacement procurement without requiring the entire set to be retired when a single instrument is worn or damaged. The eight hex screwdriver shafts — SW2.5×150mm (PS-675.43), SW3.0×150mm (PS-675.45), SW3.5×150mm (PS-675.47), SW4.0×150mm (PS-675.49), SW4.5×150mm (PS-675.51), SW5.0×150mm (PS-675.53), SW7.0×150mm (PS-675.55), and SW8.0×150mm (PS-675.57) — provide complete locking screw driver coverage from the smallest tibial nail distal locking screws through the largest femoral nail proximal locking components, including the SW7.0 and SW8.0 sizes required by large-diameter reconstruction nail and femoral nail systems that are absent from smaller removal sets. The 150mm shaft length is suited to the working depths encountered in proximal femoral and tibial interlocking procedures without the excessive shaft length that can compromise torque control in superficial locking screw applications. The three wrench types — L-type wrench (PS-675.33), L-type hexagon wrench (PS-675.35), and open-end wrench (PS-675.37) — address the variety of nut geometries encountered in locking screw end caps, nail tail plugs, and connecting rod lock mechanisms across different implant systems. All instruments are supplied in the PS-675.000 empty container for organized storage and sterile field management.

Sterilization, Reusability, and Set Maintenance

All instruments in the Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set are reusable and manufactured from stainless steel compatible with standard hospital sterilization protocols. Steam autoclave sterilization at 134°C pre-vacuum cycle parameters is the recommended primary reprocessing method for routine use. The aluminium storage container (PS-675.000) should be confirmed as autoclave-compatible with the facility's sterilization equipment; where direct box autoclaving is not indicated, instruments should be transferred to a wrapped sterilization tray for processing. The connecting rod threads — particularly the smaller M1 through M5 variants and the taper rods — require meticulous pre-cleaning using manual brushing and ultrasonic processing to remove bone debris, cortical fat, and metallic particles from the thread profiles before terminal sterilization. Thread integrity on all connecting rods must be inspected at each reprocessing cycle using a thread gauge or reference mating component, as thread damage from engagement in deformed nail bores is the most common failure mode in this instrument type. The left-handed M7×10mm rod should be identified and stored separately from right-handed rods to prevent intraoperative confusion. The cylindrical sliding hammer impact face should be inspected for deformation, and all hex screwdriver tip dimensions verified against reference sizes to confirm drive surface integrity before each set release.

CE Mark, ISO 13485, and FDA Certification for Orthopedic Instrument Procurement

The Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set (Q-Series) is manufactured under a quality management system certified to ISO 13485, governing all production stages from raw material procurement through machining, thread cutting, assembly, quality inspection, and part-level traceability via the PS-675 series numbering system. CE Mark certification confirms conformity with European Medical Device Regulation requirements for reusable orthopedic surgical instrument sets distributed within EU and associated regulatory territories. FDA compliance documentation is maintained for United States distribution, satisfying regulatory requirements applicable to reusable surgical instruments procured by US hospitals, trauma centers, and group purchasing organizations. These three certifications together satisfy the procurement and tender documentation requirements of institutional buyers in the USA, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and across major international tender frameworks. Certificates of conformity, quality management system records, and individual instrument documentation are available upon request for vendor qualification and tender submission purposes. OEM and custom-configured sets within the PS-675 series framework are available within the same certified manufacturing environment.

Product Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set and what clinical problem does it solve?
The Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set (Q-Series) is a 34-piece stainless steel instrument system purpose-built for the extraction of fractured intramedullary nail fragments — the most technically demanding scenario in orthopedic implant removal. When an intramedullary nail fails by fatigue fracture, the distal fragment loses its extraction port and can no longer be retrieved using standard nail removal instruments, which rely on coupling to the nail's proximal end. This set addresses that problem through a sixteen-rod connecting rod system spanning M1×3.5mm to M13×7mm, including taper rods and a left-handed M7×10mm variant. Each rod is advanced into the fractured nail fragment's bore under fluoroscopic guidance, threaded to purchase against the nail wall, then coupled to the extractor assembly and cylindrical sliding hammer for controlled axial retrieval. The set also includes PFNA blade screwdrivers in left- and right-hand thread configurations for cases involving proximal femoral nail anti-rotation blade fixation, eight hex screwdriver shafts covering SW2.5 through SW8.0 × 150mm for locking screw disengagement across all major nail systems, and three wrenches for end cap and lock mechanism removal. Every instrument carries an individual PS-675 series part number, supporting instrument-level traceability and selective component replacement.

How does this set differ from the 23-piece Intramedullary Nail Removal Set in the same range?
The Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set and the 23-piece Intramedullary Nail Removal Set address adjacent but clinically distinct problems, and neither substitutes for the other. The 23-piece set is designed for intact nail extraction — cases where the nail is in one piece, the extraction port is accessible, and the procedure involves standard extractor chuck engagement at M6 through M11 thread standards, locking screw removal, and controlled pullout. The Broken Nail Removal Set addresses fracture of the nail itself, where the distal fragment has no extraction port and must instead be engaged through its internal bore using a threaded connecting rod selected from a sixteen-step series that spans M1×3.5mm to M13×7mm. This set also includes the PFNA blade screwdrivers and blade extractor specifically for proximal femoral nail anti-rotation blade systems, which the 23-piece set does not carry. The hex screwdriver shafts in this set extend to SW7.0 and SW8.0 × 150mm — larger than those in the 23-piece set — covering reconstruction nail and large-diameter femoral nail locking hardware. A fully equipped orthopedic trauma service requires both sets: the 23-piece for routine nail removal and this 34-piece Q-Series set for broken nail revision surgery.

What makes the left-handed M7×10mm connecting rod clinically necessary?
The left-handed thread on the M7×10mm connecting rod (PS-675.17) addresses a specific mechanical failure mode that can occur during broken nail fragment extraction. When a connecting rod is rotated clockwise to thread into a nail fragment's bore, and that fragment is simultaneously resisting rotation by friction against the endosteal bone surface or by engagement of the distal locking screw remnants, the applied rotational torque can progressively loosen the rod's purchase rather than tighten it. This occurs when the rotational resistance of the fragment exceeds the threading torque, effectively turning the fragment in the opposite direction and backing the rod out. A left-handed thread reverses this dynamic: clockwise rotation of the extraction handle produces counter-clockwise threading that tightens under the same extraction torque that would loosen a right-handed rod. This is particularly relevant in the M7 diameter range, which corresponds to the internal bore dimensions of commonly used femoral and tibial nail systems where osseointegration and distal screw remnants are most likely to create significant fragment rotational resistance. Surgeons encountering difficulty maintaining purchase with a standard right-handed rod at this diameter should transition to the PS-675.17 rod before attempting impaction extraction.

What sterilization methods are compatible with this instrument set?
All stainless steel instruments in the 34-piece Q-Series set are compatible with steam autoclave sterilization at standard pre-vacuum cycle parameters of 134°C / 273°F, which is the recommended routine reprocessing method. The aluminium container (PS-675.000) should be confirmed as autoclave-compatible with the facility's sterilization equipment; when in doubt, instruments should be transferred to a wrapped sterilization tray. Ethylene oxide and hydrogen peroxide plasma sterilization (e.g., STERRAD) are compatible with all stainless steel components. Pre-cleaning is especially critical for the threaded connecting rods, which accumulate cortical debris and metallic particles in the thread profiles during engagement in fractured nail bores. Manual brushing and ultrasonic processing of all threaded surfaces is required prior to terminal sterilization. Thread condition on each rod must be verified before set release; any rod with damaged or deformed threads should be removed from service and replaced using its individual PS-675 part number to avoid failed purchase during the next procedure.

What regulatory certifications does this instrument set carry?
The Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set (Q-Series) is manufactured under an ISO 13485-certified quality management system covering all stages of production including raw material procurement, precision machining, thread cutting, assembly, quality inspection, and part-level traceability via individual PS-675 series numbering. CE Mark certification confirms conformity with European Medical Device Regulation requirements for Class I reusable orthopedic surgical instrument sets distributed in EU and associated regulatory territories. FDA compliance documentation is maintained for United States distribution, meeting requirements applicable to reusable surgical instruments supplied to US hospitals, trauma centers, and GPO-contracted procurement programs. All three certifications are recognized by institutional procurement offices in the USA, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, and across international tender frameworks. Full certificates of conformity, quality management documentation, and individual instrument declarations are available upon request for vendor qualification and tender submission purposes.

Are bulk, institutional, or OEM orders available for this instrument set?
Yes. Peak Surgicals accepts institutional purchase orders for the Broken Nail Removal Instruments Set (Q-Series) with a minimum order quantity of 1 set, and volume pricing is available for hospitals, orthopedic revision centers, medical device distributors, and group purchasing organizations. Because every instrument carries an individual PS-675 part number, individual component replenishment orders are also accepted for facilities that wish to replace specific worn instruments without purchasing a complete new set. OEM manufacturing is available for buyers requiring private-label branding, modified connecting rod ranges, alternative screwdriver tip geometries, or custom container layouts, all produced within the same ISO 13485-certified framework with full regulatory documentation. This set qualifies for free shipping on orders of $99 or more. Contact Peak Surgicals directly to discuss volume pricing, lead times, individual component orders, and OEM program terms.