Band Clamp Assembly Vertebral Stabilization Without Rod
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for stabilizing adjacent vertebral bodies require additional hardware like a rod, which can be obtrusive and prone to breakage, posing risks to nearby nerves and tissue.
Innovation Solution
A band clamp assembly that includes a housing with a screw, band opening, inserter opening, and an anvil, which can be used with an inserter to tighten a band around vertebral bodies without the need for additional hardware like a rod.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rod is used to stabilize adjacent vertebral bodies, then stabilization is achieved, but the rod is obtrusive and prone to breakage posing risks to nearby nerves and tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the rod from the stabilization system and replaces it with a band clamp assembly that directly clamps vertebral bodies using a band and cam mechanism. This removes the obtrusive rod while maintaining stabilization function, eliminating the associated breakage risks and tissue damage hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a flexible band instead of a rigid rod for stabilization. The band is threaded through the band clamp and tightened using a cam mechanism, providing stabilization through flexible compression rather than rigid structural support, thereby reducing the risk of tissue damage while maintaining reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a band is used as a fixation element to avoid wire and cable breakage, then tissue damage risk is reduced, but the band must be linked to a rod which is obtrusive hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the band clamp, cam mechanism, and band into a single integrated assembly that functions independently without requiring a separate rod. The cam mechanism is housed within the band clamp structure, creating a unified device that eliminates the need for additional obtrusive hardware while maintaining the tissue-friendly band fixation element.
Solution Approach 2:
The band clamp assembly serves multiple functions: it clamps the band around the vertebral body, provides stabilization, and incorporates the cam mechanism for tightening. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate rod and fixation elements, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the benefits of band-based fixation.
3Strength
If additional fixation elements are added to the band clamp assembly, then fixation strength is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fixation system into modular components: the band clamp housing, the cam mechanism, the band, and optional additional fixation elements. This segmentation allows for enhanced fixation strength through additional elements while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design, as each component can be independently selected and assembled based on specific clinical needs.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The band clamp assembly effectively stabilizes adjacent vertebral bodies without the need for a rod, reducing the risk of hardware breakage and associated tissue damage, while allowing for additional fixation elements if needed.
Implementation Method 1
The inserter (40) can include a distal end (42) including projections (44) configured and dimensioned to receive a band clamp (10); a sleeve (46) configured and dimensioned to engage with a threaded shaft (48); a housing (66) extending along a length of the threaded shaft (48) and including a pair of oppositely oriented cams (52); and a proximal end (56) attached to the housing (66) and including a proximal cam (54).
Implementation Method 2
a sleeve (46) configured and dimensioned to engage with a threaded shaft (48)
Data Source
AI summary
A band clamp including a housing; a screw that extends through a top surface of the housing and into a cavity defined by the housing; a band opening located within the housing and configured and dimensioned to receive a band; an inserter opening located within the housing and configured and dimensioned to receive an inserter; and an anvil located within the cavity of the housing is disclosed. A band clamp assembly, an inserter, and an inserter assembly is also disclosed. A method of inserting a band clamp is also disclosed.