Adjustable Surgical Drill Guide With Error-Resistant Lumen Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical drill guides lack mechanisms to prevent errors in selecting and using the correct drill diameter and length, leading to potential misalignment and inefficiencies during spinal procedures.
Innovation Solution
A drill guide with an error-resistant mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the inner lumen diameter through a rotatable and translatable outer sleeve, preventing the use of an incorrect drill diameter or length by aligning with precision elements and providing tactile or audio feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed diameter drill guide is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot accommodate different drill diameters and lengths, reducing versatility
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide employs a dynamic adjustment mechanism where an outer sleeve can be rotated and translated relative to the base, changing the internal diameter of the lumen between multiple predetermined settings. This allows the device to adapt between different drill sizes while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide is divided into distinct functional segments: a base with grooves, an outer sleeve with corresponding tips, and an inner lumen. These segmented components work together through precise geometric matching to enable diameter adjustment without requiring a completely complex mechanism.
2Reliability
If multiple drill settings are allowed, then versatility is improved, but the risk of selecting the wrong drill diameter increases, leading to potential errors
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism is designed to prevent erroneous drill selection before the error can occur. The geometric coupling between the base grooves and outer sleeve tips creates mechanical constraints that physically prevent the outer sleeve from being positioned in incorrect settings, thereby preventing the selection of wrong drill diameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanism provides tactile feedback through the engagement of grooves and tips, allowing the user to feel when the outer sleeve is properly positioned in a valid setting. This feedback mechanism confirms correct configuration before drill insertion, reducing the likelihood of error.
3Reliability
If a longer drill with larger diameter is available, then more drilling depth is possible, but it may be incorrectly used when a shorter drill with smaller diameter is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanism applies preliminary anti-action by creating physical constraints that prevent the insertion of drills with incorrect diameters. The internal lumen diameter is dynamically adjusted to match the required drill size, making it physically impossible to insert a drill that does not match the selected setting, thereby preventing the error of using a longer/larger drill when a shorter/smaller drill is needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are drill guides with a mechanism for use with different drills and with error resistance.