Bone Cutting Guide Translatable Shaft for Alignment Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Anatomically misaligned bones, such as those in the foot, often require surgical intervention to correct alignment and alleviate patient discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A bone cutting guide system that includes a main body with fixation members for securing the guide to the bone, a translatable shaft with a main guide member featuring opposed or single cutting surfaces, and optional bridge and secondary guide members for precise cutting and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a bone cutting guide with fixed components is used, then the device structure is simple, but the cutting precision and alignment accuracy are insufficient for complex bone anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The bone cutting guide is divided into multiple independent components: a base component that attaches to the bone, a shaft component that provides translational movement, and a guide member component that performs the cutting. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft component is designed to translate relative to the base component, providing dynamic adjustment capability. This allows the guide member to be positioned at multiple locations along the bone while maintaining cutting precision, resolving the contradiction between fixed simple structure and precise adjustable positioning.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple guide members are used to achieve precise cutting at different locations, then the cutting accuracy improves, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member is designed as a multi-functional component that can perform multiple cutting operations at different locations along the bone. By translating the shaft, a single guide member replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate guide members, maintaining cutting accuracy while reducing component count.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member is positioned on the shaft which is received within the base component. This nested arrangement allows compact storage and easy assembly while maintaining the precision required for accurate bone cutting at multiple locations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the guide member is fixed to the base, then the device is simpler to manufacture, but the ability to adjust cutting location is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is designed with translational capability relative to the base component, allowing the guide member to be adjusted to different positions along the bone. This dynamic feature provides adaptability for various cutting locations while using simple mechanical translation rather than complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft and guide member are pre-positioned relative to the base component during manufacturing, but allow for simple translational adjustment during surgery. This preliminary positioning ensures manufacturing simplicity while the translational capability provides surgical adaptability.
4Reliability
If fixation members are added to secure the guide to the bone, then the stability and reliability improve, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation members are integrated into the base component rather than being separate attachable elements. This merging provides reliable bone attachment while reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall device structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone cutting guide may include a support that contains a shaft movable relative to the support. The shaft may carry a guide member having one or more cut guides through which a clinician inserts a cutting member to cut bone positioned under the guide cut guides. In operation, a clinician may fixate the support of the bone cutting guide to a bone and translate the guide member until the one or more cut guides are positioned at a desired cut location. The clinician may then perform a cut through the cut guide. In some examples, the bone cutting guide includes additional components, such as bridging member or secondary cut guide, to provide additional functionality.