Acetabular Liner with Movable Tabs for Hip Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional trial acetabular liners are difficult to remove from the acetabular cup due to their tight fit, which complicates the fitting process in total hip replacement surgery.
Innovation Solution
A trial acetabular liner design featuring perpendicular radial and axial directions, with a closed first end, an open second end, and a liner wall including cutouts and movable tabs that removably secure to the acetabular shell, allowing for easy insertion and removal without additional fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the trial liner is designed with a tight fit into the cup, then the fit accuracy and stability are improved, but the ease of removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The trial liner incorporates movable tabs with cutouts that segment the continuous liner wall, creating discrete removable sections. These tabs can be independently manipulated to facilitate removal while the remaining liner maintains tight fit within the cup, resolving the contradiction between fit accuracy and ease of removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner transitions from a static, permanently fitted design to a dynamic structure with movable tabs that can be actively manipulated. The tabs are designed to move between engaged and disengaged positions, allowing the liner to maintain stable fit during use but become easily removable when needed.
2Reliability
If the trial liner includes a locking mechanism, then the stability and secure fit are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable tabs with projections are designed to automatically engage with corresponding features in the cup through simple insertion movements. The tabs self-lock into position without requiring additional fasteners or complex mechanisms, achieving stable fixation while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Productivity
If the trial liner is designed for easy removal, then the productivity of the fitting process is improved, but the fit stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the liner into a stable body and movable tabs, the design allows the main liner structure to maintain secure fit for stability testing while the segmented tabs provide controlled removal capability. This segmentation enables quick removal without compromising the fit stability of the remaining liner during the testing phase.
Data Source
AI summary
An acetabular liner having a closed first end, an open second end, and a liner wall having a distal peripheral edge. The acetabular liner wall can include an interior surface, an exterior surface configured to be received within an acetabular shell, a first cutout through the liner wall, a second cutout parallel to the first cutout and through the liner wall, and a third cutout in the interior surface partially through the liner wall, the third cutout extending between the first and second cutouts, and at least one movable tab extending from the peripheral edge inwardly towards an axial center of the liner and having sidewalls defined by one of the sets of cutouts, the tab comprising at least one projection on an exterior surface of the tab configured to removably secure to a portion of an acetabular shell.