Bioabsorbable Composite Bone Implant for Minimally Invasive Fracture Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating bone fractures and fortifying bones are inadequate, as external stabilizers interfere with daily activities and require rehabilitation, while internal stabilizers necessitate invasive surgery and additional procedures for removal, and bone cements are brittle and unsuitable for tensile loading.
Innovation Solution
A novel composite implant comprising a containment bag, reinforcing elements, and an injectable matrix material is introduced minimally invasively into the intramedullary canal or bone opening, allowing for custom-tailored structural reinforcement with compressive and tensile strengths, facilitating bone fracture healing or augmentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external stabilizers (casts, braces) are used to treat bone fractures, then the bone can be stabilized during healing, but the patient experiences interference with daily activities and requires rehabilitation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the stabilization function from external devices and relocates it to an internal implant. The composite implant is inserted into the intramedullary canal of the bone, providing internal support that eliminates the need for external casts and braces, thereby allowing patients to perform daily activities without restriction while maintaining bone stabilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite implant acts as an intermediary structure between the bone and the external environment. It provides mechanical support directly within the bone, serving as a mediator that transfers and distributes loads internally, eliminating the need for external stabilizers that interfere with daily activities.
2Reliability
If internal stabilizers (screws, bone plates, intramedullary nails) are used to treat bone fractures, then the bone can be stabilized during healing, but invasive surgery and additional removal procedures are required
Solution Approach 1:
The composite implant is designed to be temporarily retained during the healing period and then naturally discarded or resorbed by the body. The implant provides necessary stabilization during fracture healing and can be left in place to degrade naturally or removed through a simplified procedure, eliminating the need for complex removal surgeries required by traditional metal implants.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite materials that combine biocompatible polymers with reinforcing elements, creating an implant that is both strong enough to provide stabilization and biodegradable or easily removable. This composite structure allows the implant to fulfill its stabilization function while reducing the complexity of removal procedures compared to traditional metal implants.
3Reliability
If bone cements are used to treat bone fractures, then the bone can be stabilized, but the material is brittle and unsuitable for tensile loading
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs composite materials consisting of a polymer matrix reinforced with high-strength elements such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, or metal mesh. This composite structure combines the advantages of different materials: the polymer provides ductility and tensile strength, while the reinforcing elements provide compressive strength and rigidity, creating an implant suitable for both tensile and compressive loading conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite implant incorporates different materials with specific properties in different regions to optimize performance. The polymer matrix provides overall ductility and tensile strength, while localized reinforcing elements are positioned to provide additional compressive strength and rigidity where needed, creating a structure with spatially varying properties that matches the complex loading conditions of bone.
Data Source
AI summary
A composite implant comprising a bioabsorbable matrix material, an outer sheath of a textile comprising filaments; and a plurality of flexible reinforcing rods held together by the outer sheath; each of the flexible reinforcing rods have a plurality of filaments, and the filaments of the textile and the flexible reinforcing rods include a degradable or resorbable glass. Preferably, the filaments are present in the composite implant in an amount of 20 volume percent to 95 volume percent, based on the total volume of the composite implant.