A hole plug gripping device for installing a hole plug

Abstract

The application discloses a hole plug holding device for installing a hole plug and belongs to the technical field of medical instruments. The device comprises a connecting rod and at least one flexible holding head. At least one end of the connecting rod is provided with a connecting matching part; the connecting matching part comprises a positioning column and a stop disc, one end of the positioning column is coaxially fixed to the end of the connecting rod, and the other end is coaxially fixed with the stop disc; the diameter of the positioning column is smaller than the diameter of the connecting rod and smaller than the diameter of the stop disc. The head of the flexible holding head is provided with a silica gel sleeve, the inner diameter of the silica gel sleeve matches the outer diameter of the hole plug of the acetabular cup; the tail of the flexible holding head is provided with a plug-in hole matched with the positioning column. The flexible holding head and the connecting rod are detachably connected through the cooperation of the plug-in hole and the positioning column, and the stop disc abuts against the end face of the plug-in hole of the flexible holding head. The application avoids the hard damage of the hole plug and the acetabular cup prosthesis, supports the separate replacement of the wear-and-tear parts, reduces the operation and maintenance cost, and is suitable for various complex acetabular surgery scenes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical device technology, and more specifically to a plug holding device for installing plugs. Background Technology

[0002] In total hip arthroplasty, after the acetabular cup prosthesis is installed and fixed, there are multiple screw holes on the cup body. These holes need to be sealed with plugs to prevent bone cement from seeping into the screw hole gaps during the operation and soft tissue from embedding into the holes after the operation. This helps to avoid postoperative complications such as joint effusion leakage, abnormal bone tissue hyperplasia, and prosthesis loosening. It is a core operation step to ensure the effect of hip replacement surgery and improve the long-term stability of the prosthesis.

[0003] Currently, the clinical installation of acetabular cup plugs mainly employs two methods: manual installation or installation using a one-piece rigid metal clamping device. There are no dedicated, adaptable minimally invasive installation instruments, resulting in poor overall implementation effectiveness and significant limitations of existing technologies. Traditional clamping devices are mostly one-piece rigid metal structures with no flexible protective structure. Their high rigidity makes them highly susceptible to extrusion scratches and deformation damage to the outer wall of the plug during clamping and pressing, compromising the plug's sealing structure. They are also prone to impacting and abrading the surface of the acetabular cup prosthesis, affecting the prosthesis's fit accuracy and sealing performance. Furthermore, the one-piece structure is non-separable; after long-term use, the instrument tip will experience aging, wear, deformation, and decreased accuracy, requiring complete replacement. This leads to high equipment maintenance and procurement costs and significant waste of medical resources.

[0004] Meanwhile, traditional installation instruments lack angle-adaptive structures and have a fixed, single force direction, making them unsuitable for installing screw holes of varying depths and inclination angles during surgery. For screw holes with limited surgical fields and deep inclinations, precise alignment and even pressure are difficult to achieve, easily leading to problems such as plug misalignment, incomplete installation, and detachment, resulting in low installation accuracy and pass rate. Manual installation relies entirely on the surgeon's experience and tactile sense, exhibiting extremely poor stability, prolonged surgical time, significantly extended wound exposure time, and increased postoperative infection risk, failing to meet the demands of modern orthopedic minimally invasive, precise, and safe surgery. Currently, there is no dedicated plug-holding and installation device with replaceable wear-resistant tips, flexible protection, and lightweight design. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hole plug holding device for installing hole plugs, so as to solve the technical problems in the prior art such as easy damage to hole plugs and acetabular prostheses, low installation alignment accuracy, poor angle adaptability, inability to replace parts locally due to integral structure, high maintenance cost and poor surgical operation stability, so as to achieve a minimally invasive installation operation of hole plugs that is non-damaging, high-precision, low-cost and standardized.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A plug holding device for mounting a plug, comprising: A connecting rod, at least one end of which is provided with a connecting mating part; the connecting mating part includes a positioning post and a stop plate, one end of the positioning post is coaxially fixed to the end of the connecting rod, and the other end is coaxially fixed to the stop plate; the diameter of the positioning post is smaller than the diameter of the connecting rod and smaller than the diameter of the stop plate. At least one flexible gripping head, the head of which is provided with a silicone sleeve, the inner diameter of which matches the outer diameter of the acetabular cup plug; the tail of the flexible gripping head is provided with an insertion hole adapted to the positioning post. The flexible gripping head and the connecting rod are detachably connected through the insertion hole and the positioning post, and the stop plate abuts against the insertion hole end face of the flexible gripping head.

[0007] Furthermore, the end of the connecting rod with the connecting mating part is bent along its length.

[0008] Furthermore, the outer circumferential edge of the stop disc is rounded, and the thickness gradually decreases from the center to the edge to form an umbrella-shaped transition structure.

[0009] Furthermore, the flexible gripping head is integrally molded from medical-grade silicone with a Shore hardness of 60°, and the port of the silicone sleeve is provided with a micro-recessed structure, the minimum inner diameter of which is smaller than the outer diameter of the acetabular cup plug.

[0010] Furthermore, the positioning post and the insertion hole adopt a transition fit or an interference fit.

[0011] Furthermore, both ends of the connecting rod are provided with the connecting mating parts, and the inner diameters of the silicone sleeves of the two flexible gripping heads are respectively adapted to the acetabular cup plugs with diameters of 10mm and 6mm.

[0012] Furthermore, the two connecting mating parts are exactly the same size, and the insertion holes of the two flexible gripping heads are adapted to the positioning pins, and can be interchangeably installed on the connecting mating parts at either end.

[0013] Furthermore, the connecting rod is integrally formed from medical-grade aluminum alloy.

[0014] Furthermore, the insertion hole is a through hole, and the axial length of the positioning pin is equal to the depth of the insertion hole.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: First, flexible protection and minimally invasive, non-invasive installation. This invention uses a medical-grade silicone flexible holding structure to replace the traditional rigid metal clamping structure. Utilizing the elastic cushioning properties of silicone, it completely avoids squeezing, scratching, and impact damage to the acetabular cup and the insertion port during installation, protecting the integrity of the prosthesis structure, ensuring the sealing effect of the insertion port, effectively improving surgical quality, and extending the service life of the prosthesis.

[0016] Secondly, the modular, separate design results in low maintenance costs. This invention adopts a plug-in, detachable connection structure, with only the silicone gripper being a consumable part. After aging and wear, it can be replaced separately by plugging and unplugging. The connecting rod can be reused for a long time, completely eliminating the defects of traditional integrated instruments that require complete scrapping. This significantly reduces equipment procurement and clinical operation and maintenance costs, and reduces the waste of medical resources.

[0017] Third, the curved rod is adapted to deep surgical spaces. The end of the connecting rod with the connecting mating part is curved, which can leave enough space for the matching universal wrench to apply force, avoid interference between the wrench and surrounding bone or soft tissue, ensure stable and controllable force application in deep surgical scenarios, reduce the difficulty of operation, and improve installation quality and efficiency.

[0018] Fourth, lightweight design enhances surgical safety and efficiency. The lightweight medical-grade aluminum alloy handle provides a comfortable grip, effectively reducing operator fatigue during prolonged surgeries and improving operational stability. Instrument clamping is simple, alignment is precise, and operation is convenient, effectively shortening surgical time, reducing patient wound exposure time, and lowering the risk of postoperative infection.

[0019] Fifth, the instrument features dual-specification compatibility and interchangeability, enhancing its practicality. The connecting rod is compatible with flexible gripping heads for different sized plugs, allowing one instrument set to meet the installation needs of major clinical plug sizes. The two connecting parts are identical in size, and the gripping heads can be interchangeably installed at either end, reducing the probability of intraoperative errors, decreasing the types and number of instruments in the operating room, and improving surgical preparation efficiency. Furthermore, all materials used meet medical sterilization standards, can withstand repeated high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization, pose no risk of biological rejection or corrosion, and have no sharp edges to prevent scratching human soft tissue, perfectly aligning with the modern orthopedic clinical surgical philosophy of minimally invasive, precise, and safe procedures. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a hole plug holding device for installing hole plugs according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the connecting rod in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flexible gripping head adapted to a 10mm plug in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the flexible gripping head adapted to a 6mm plug in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the 10mm hole plug in an embodiment of the present invention; In the diagram: 1-connecting rod, 2-connecting mating part, 3-positioning post, 4-stop plate, 5-flexible gripping head, 6-silicone sleeve, 7-insertion hole. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of this invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0022] This embodiment provides a plug holding device for installing plugs. It is a specialized surgical instrument combining a modular, split structure, flexible protective grip, bending and avoidance configuration, and dual-head universal interchangeability. This solves the problems of traditional one-piece rigid metal grip instruments, such as easy damage to prostheses, limited space for deep operations, low installation accuracy, and high maintenance costs. All components are made of materials that meet medical sterilization standards and can withstand repeated high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization at 134℃, adapting to standardized operating procedures in orthopedic operating rooms.

[0023] The aforementioned device consists of two independent assembly units: a connecting rod 1 and at least one flexible gripping head 5, as shown below. Figure 1 As shown. The connecting rod 1 is integrally formed from medical-grade aluminum alloy, with a preferred total length of 160mm to 200mm and a preferred rod diameter of 8mm to 12mm. In this embodiment, the total length of the connecting rod 1 is 180mm and the rod diameter is 10mm. This size balances grip comfort and structural strength, and the overall weight is reduced by more than 30% compared to stainless steel rods of the same specification, effectively reducing grip fatigue for doctors during long surgeries. This embodiment is a double-headed interchangeable plug holding device, such as... Figure 2 As shown, both ends of the connecting rod 1 are provided with connecting mating parts 2 with completely identical structures. The diameter of the positioning post 3 and the size of the stop plate 4 of the two connecting mating parts 2 are completely identical, which provides the basic conditions for the subsequent cross-end interchange installation of the flexible gripping head 5.

[0024] One end of the connecting rod 1, which has a connecting mating part 2, is bent along its length in the same plane. The bending angle is preferably 10° to 30°, and in this embodiment, the bending angle is 15°. After the acetabular cup prosthesis is placed into the acetabular fossa, it is tightly surrounded by dense bone and soft tissue. The surgical operating space is limited. If a traditional straight-bar holding instrument is used, when the universal wrench is applied to the end of the rod, the wrench body is very likely to interfere with the surrounding anatomical structures or the connecting rod 1 itself. It is impossible to adjust the angle of force application or ensure the stability of the direction of force application. The bending setting of this application is to reserve sufficient swing and force application space for the wrench head of the universal wrench, avoid the wrench getting stuck with the surrounding tissue, ensure a smooth and controllable pressing process in deep surgical scenarios, and adapt to the surgical needs of various complex acetabular cases.

[0025] Each connecting part 2 is coaxially fixedly connected by a positioning post 3 and a stop plate 4. One end of the positioning post 3 is rigidly connected to the end of the connecting rod 1, and the other end is fixedly connected to the center position of the stop plate 4. The diameter of the positioning post 3 is smaller than the diameter of the connecting rod 1 and also smaller than the diameter of the stop plate 4, forming a stepped variable diameter structure. In this embodiment, the diameter of the positioning post 3 is 3mm, the diameter of the stop plate 4 is 6mm, and the diameter of the connecting rod 1 is 10mm. This size gradient ensures that the positioning post 3 can be smoothly inserted into the insertion hole 7 of the flexible gripping head 5, and also provides sufficient axial limiting force through the large-diameter end face of the stop plate 4 to prevent the gripping head from coming out when subjected to force.

[0026] The outer edge of the stop plate 4 is rounded, and the overall thickness gradually decreases from the center to the edge, with a thickness of 2mm at the center and 0.5mm at the edge, forming a smooth umbrella-shaped transition structure. This can prevent scratches on the operator's gloves or the patient's soft tissue during assembly or use, and can also limit the axial displacement of the flexible gripping head 5 by abutting the end face, preventing the gripping head from accidentally falling off the positioning post 3.

[0027] like Figures 3-4 As shown, the flexible gripping head 5 is integrally injection molded from medical-grade silicone with a Shore hardness of 60°. This hardness range has sufficient elastic deformation capacity to achieve adaptive clamping of the plug, and can provide sufficient support strength to avoid excessive deformation during press fitting. At the same time, it can withstand repeated sterilization at high temperature and high pressure of 134°C. Long-term use is not prone to hardening, cracking or elasticity decay. Its biocompatibility meets the requirements of implantable devices.

[0028] The head of the flexible gripping head 5 is coaxially provided with a silicone sleeve 6. The silicone sleeve 6 has a height of 12mm and a wall thickness of 3mm. The inner diameter of the silicone sleeve 6 of one of the flexible gripping heads 5 is 10mm, which is compatible with a commercially available standard 10mm acetabular cup plug (see [reference]). Figure 5Another flexible gripping head 5 has a silicone sleeve 6 with an inner diameter of 6mm, which is compatible with commercially available standard 6mm acetabular cup plugs, covering most clinical surgical needs. The silicone sleeve 6 has a micro-recessed structure at its end. The minimum inner diameter of the micro-recessed silicone sleeve 6 for a 10mm plug is 9.7mm, and the minimum inner diameter for a 6mm plug is 5.8mm, both smaller than the outer diameter of the corresponding plug. When the plug is pressed vertically into the silicone sleeve 6, the silicone sleeve 6 undergoes elastic deformation to wrap around the outer wall of the plug. The micro-recessed structure further secures the root of the plug, preventing it from falling off during transfer. At the same time, the self-aligning properties of the elastic material ensure the coaxiality of the plug and the screw hole, avoiding plug misalignment caused by rigid clamping. Traditional rigid metal grippers are highly rigid, making them prone to scratching the surface of the plug and abrading the sealing surface of the acetabular cup during clamping. The flexible silicone gripper structure of this application utilizes the elastic cushioning properties of the material to fundamentally avoid such rigid damage, significantly improving the long-term service life of the prosthesis. Furthermore, flexible grippers can be added to accommodate future increases in plug sizes.

[0029] The positioning post 3 and the insertion hole 7 at the tail of the flexible gripping head 5 adopt a transition fit or an interference fit, with the interference amount controlled within the range of 0.1mm to 0.3mm. In this embodiment, the interference amount is 0.2mm, which ensures that the flexible gripping head 5 does not wobble radially during the pressing process after assembly. In this embodiment, the insertion hole 7 is a through hole that runs through the entire tail of the flexible gripping head 5, with a hole depth of 5mm. The axial length of the positioning post 3 is correspondingly set to 5mm. When force is applied, the positioning post 3 completely fills the internal space of the insertion hole 7, which can prevent the flexible gripping head 5 from undergoing axial compression deformation after being subjected to force, ensuring that the pressing force is directly and evenly transmitted to the hole plug, and completely solving the problem of easy deformation of the traditional snap-fit ​​connection structure under force.

[0030] Since the two connecting parts 2 are exactly the same size, and the insertion holes 7 of the two flexible gripping heads 5 are both 2.8mm in diameter and are compatible with the positioning post 3 with a diameter of 3mm, the two flexible gripping heads 5 can be interchangeably installed at either end of the connecting rod 1. During the operation, there is no need to distinguish the connector specifications and installation direction, which greatly reduces the probability of surgical errors by doctors and solves the cumbersome problem of frequently changing the entire set of tools for traditional instruments with different specifications. At the same time, it also provides the possibility for modular operation and maintenance of instruments.

[0031] During assembly, align the tail of the flexible gripping head 5 with the positioning post 3 and apply axial thrust. The silicone material will undergo controllable elastic deformation, and the diameter of the insertion hole 7 will be expanded to more than 6mm. After smoothly passing through the stop plate 4, it reaches the mating position of the positioning post 3. At this time, the silicone rebounds, and the insertion hole 7 and the positioning post 3 form a 0.2mm interference fit. The stop plate 4 is restricted to the inner side of the tail of the flexible gripping head 5, and the end face of the stop plate 4 completely abuts against the end face of the tail of the flexible gripping head 5, forming a double limiting structure of elastic engagement and hard stop. This ensures that the flexible gripping head 5 will not axially dislodge from the positioning post 3, and also avoids the need for additional rigid buckles, threads, or other complex locking structures. When disassembling, only axial tension needs to be applied to overcome the elastic force of the silicone and pull out the gripping head, making the operation extremely convenient.

[0032] Before use, the flexible gripping head 5 can be pre-installed on the connecting rod 1 to form an integral structure, allowing for direct sterilization without the need for preoperative assembly, and is fully compatible with standardized operating room procedures. During the procedure, the corresponding acetabular cup plug is first vertically pressed into the silicone sleeve 6 of the flexible gripping head 5. The connecting rod 1 is held and its position adjusted, utilizing the space avoidance characteristics of the curved rod to avoid surrounding anatomical structures, ensuring that the plug is coaxially aligned with the target screw hole on the acetabular cup. Then, the matching universal wrench is placed against the end of the connecting rod 1, and the wrench angle is adjusted within the force application space reserved by the curved configuration. Pressure perpendicular to the end face of the screw hole is applied to smoothly press or screw the plug into the screw hole, completing the sealing installation. After long-term clinical use, if the flexible silicone gripping head 5 shows signs of aging, wear, or loss of elasticity, the old gripping head can be pulled out along the axis and replaced with a brand new gripping head of the same specification for continued use. The medical aluminum alloy connecting rod 1 can be repeatedly disinfected and reused, eliminating the need for complete instrument scrapping. Compared to the traditional method of replacing the entire integrated instrument, the maintenance cost is reduced by more than 70%, significantly reducing the waste of medical resources.

[0033] Alternatively, the device can also be designed as a single-head design, with a connecting and mating part 2 only at one end of the connecting rod 1, and the other end machined into a flat gripping end, suitable for simplified surgical scenarios that only require a single-size plug. Regardless of whether it is a single-head or double-head design, its core variable-diameter positioning structure, flexible gripping principle, and bending avoidance configuration can remain consistent, meeting the needs of different levels of clinical scenarios.

[0034] This invention achieves minimally invasive installation of the plug without damage, with high precision and adaptability to all working conditions, which is in line with the development concept of minimally invasive, precise and safe modern orthopedic surgery.

[0035] Contents not described in detail in this specification are prior art known to those skilled in the art. It is hereby indicated that the above description is intended to help those skilled in the art understand this invention, but does not limit the scope of protection of this invention. Any equivalent substitutions, modifications, improvements, or simplifications of the above descriptions that do not depart from the essential content of this invention fall within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A plug holding device for installing a plug, characterized in that, include: A connecting rod (1) is provided with a connecting mating part (2) at least one end of the connecting rod (1); the connecting mating part (2) includes a positioning post (3) and a stop plate (4); one end of the positioning post (3) is coaxially fixed to the end of the connecting rod (1), and the other end is coaxially fixed to the stop plate (4); the diameter of the positioning post (3) is smaller than the diameter of the connecting rod (1) and smaller than the diameter of the stop plate (4); At least one flexible gripping head (5) is provided with a silicone sleeve (6) at the head of the flexible gripping head (5), the inner diameter of the silicone sleeve (6) being matched with the outer diameter of the acetabular cup plug; the tail of the flexible gripping head (5) is provided with an insertion hole (7) adapted to the positioning post (3). The flexible gripping head (5) and the connecting rod (1) are detachably connected through the insertion hole (7) and the positioning post (3), and the stop plate (4) abuts against the end face of the insertion hole (7) of the flexible gripping head (5).

2. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting rod (1) has a connecting mating part (2) at one end, which is bent along the length direction.

3. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stop plate (4) has rounded corners on its circumferential outer edge, and its thickness gradually decreases from the center to the edge to form an umbrella-shaped transition structure.

4. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible gripping head (5) is integrally molded from medical-grade silicone with a Shore hardness of 60°. The port of the silicone sleeve (6) is provided with a micro-recessed structure, and the minimum inner diameter of the micro-recessed structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the acetabular cup plug.

5. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positioning post (3) and the insertion hole (7) adopt a transition fit or an interference fit.

6. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both ends of the connecting rod (1) are provided with the connecting mating part (2), and the inner diameters of the silicone sleeves (6) of the two flexible gripping heads (5) are respectively adapted to the acetabular cup plugs with diameters of 10mm and 6mm.

7. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 6, characterized in that, The two connecting parts (2) are exactly the same size, and the insertion holes (7) of the two flexible gripping heads (5) are adapted to the positioning post (3) and can be interchangeably installed on the connecting parts (2) at either end.

8. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting rod (1) is integrally formed from medical aluminum alloy.

9. A plug holding device for installing a plug according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insertion hole (7) is a through hole, and the axial length of the positioning post (3) is equal to the hole depth of the insertion hole (7).

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