Bone Fragment Coaptation Plate with Self-Tapping Polymer Inserts
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current osteosynthesis devices using plates and screws face challenges in preventing screw unscrewing and retraction, especially in small bone surgeries where thick plates are not feasible, and lack the ability to orient screws for optimal anchorage, leading to inadequate immobilization and periosteum preservation.
Innovation Solution
A coaptation device featuring a one-piece molded plate with a support portion made from a harder biocompatible polymer and inserts made from a more malleable polymer, allowing for self-tapping and interdiffusion to create strong mechanical bonds, enabling selective screw angling and local thickness increases for better bone contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If locking devices are added to prevent screw unscrewing, then screw locking reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the locking function with the screw head itself by integrating a locking collar directly onto the screw head, eliminating the need for separate locking devices. This merging approach maintains screw locking reliability while reducing device complexity by consolidating multiple components into a single integrated element.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw head with integrated locking collar provides self-locking capability through its own structure, allowing the screw to lock itself without requiring external locking devices or additional components. The locking collar on the screw head engages with the plate hole to prevent unscrewing, enabling the screw to serve both fastening and locking functions simultaneously.
2Reliability
If plates of large thickness are used to accommodate locking devices, then screw locking reliability is improved, but adaptability to small bones deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the locking collar directly onto the screw head, the patent eliminates the need for thick plates to accommodate separate locking devices. The locking function is moved from the plate level to the screw level, allowing thin plates to be used on small bones while maintaining screw locking reliability through the self-contained locking mechanism on the screw head.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent shifts the locking mechanism from a plate-based solution (requiring thickness in the plate dimension) to a screw-based solution (using the screw head structure). This dimensional shift allows locking functionality to be achieved without increasing plate thickness, thereby maintaining adaptability to small bones with limited space.
3Manufacturing precision
If screw orientation is fixed by hole axes, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to different fracture cases deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustability to the screw orientation system by allowing the screw to be inserted at various angles relative to the plate, rather than being constrained to fixed hole axes. The locking collar on the screw head can engage with holes at different orientations, enabling adaptation to different fracture cases while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized plate and screw components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the orientation parameter from fixed (determined solely by hole axes) to variable (allowing multiple insertion angles). By designing the locking collar and hole interface to accommodate angular variations, the system maintains manufacturing precision through standardized dimensions while gaining adaptability to different fracture geometries and screw positioning requirements.
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 device ensures secure screw locking, allows for complex plate geometries, reduces manual assembly complexity, and preserves the periosteum, providing improved immobilization and reconstruction capabilities in small bone surgeries.
Implementation Method 1
said support portion and those zones or inserts presenting partial molecular melting together
Implementation Method 2
said zones or inserts having mechanical properties enabling self-tapping of the inside surface of the holes
Data Source
AI summary
A device for coaptation of bone parts or bone fragments, comprising an integral plate obtained by moulding whereof one portion (1) is made from a first biocompatible polymer comprising at least one or, preferably, a plurality of areas or inserts (2) provided with a through hole (3), said areas or inserts being made from a second biocompatible polymer which is more malleable than the first polymer, said areas or inserts having mechanical properties allowing a self-tapping of the inner surface of the holes, by means of screws that can be used for securing said plate to bone tissue, said support portion and said areas or inserts having a partial molecular bond between them.