Bone Cutting Guide Tripod Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopaedic surgical procedures for cutting bones, such as during joint prosthesis implantation, face challenges in accurately locating and stabilizing cutting planes due to the need for precise alignment of cutting guides with alignment rods, which can be cumbersome and require initial accurate positioning.
Innovation Solution
An instrument with a reference portion that uses a tripod arrangement of projections to stably contact the bone, allowing for quick and easy positioning of a cutting guide, either directly or with attachment, and optionally includes a monitoring device for precise tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cutting guide is mounted on an alignment rod, then the cutting guide can be positioned and oriented relative to the bone, but the procedure requires an initial step of accurately positioning the rod relative to the bone which is cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the alignment rod from the procedure by providing a cutting guide that can be positioned and stabilized directly on the bone surface without requiring an alignment rod. The cutting guide incorporates projections that contact the bone to provide stable positioning, eliminating the cumbersome initial rod positioning step while maintaining the ability to accurately locate and orient the cutting plane.
2Ease of operation
If a cutting guide is positioned by freehand adjustment, then the alignment rod requirement is obviated, but the stability and precision of cutting plane location is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide incorporates a self-stabilizing mechanism where projections on the cutting guide contact the bone surface to provide inherent stability. The projections are configured to engage with the bone, and the cutting guide can be locked in position relative to the bone, allowing the device to maintain its own stable positioning without requiring external support from an alignment rod or complex fixation apparatus.
3Productivity
If the reference portion is directly used to guide the cutting tool without attachment, then the positioning is quick and easy, but the stability may be insufficient for secure guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting guide incorporates a locking mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment between two states: an unlocked state where the reference portion can be quickly positioned and adjusted relative to the bone, and a locked state where the reference portion is secured to prevent movement during cutting. This dynamic capability enables the surgeon to achieve both quick positioning and secure stabilization as needed.
Data Source
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AI summary
An instrument for locating a cutting plane on a bone in an orthopaedic surgical procedure comprises a reference portion defining a reference plane and a body portion. The instrument has at least three projections for contacting the bone in a tripod arrangement. At least one of the projections is provided on the reference portion, and the or each other projection is provided on the body portion. The projections on the reference portion are capable of linear movement relative to the projections on the body portion, in a plane which is parallel to the reference plane.