Bone Fusion System with Flexible Probe and Abrading Needle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for sacroiliac joint fusion face challenges in exposing bleeding bone on non-planar surfaces of the sacrum and ilium, requiring small, flexible cutting devices that can deflect and maintain strength to effectively abrade and harvest bone tissue.
Innovation Solution
A bone fusion system comprising an abrading and harvesting device with a needle portion and probe, where the needle has a central bore and a sharpened tip for abrading and harvesting bone tissue, and a probe with a flexible design to navigate non-planar surfaces, facilitating the exposure of bleeding bone and collection of tissue for fusion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a small cutting device is used to fit through the aperture, then the device can be inserted through the aperture, but the cutting element cannot maintain sufficient strength to cut through the bone surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a flexible probe portion for navigation through the aperture and a separate cutting element that engages with the bone surface. This segmentation allows the probe to be small enough for insertion while the cutting element can be sufficiently large and strong for effective bone cutting.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting element deflects from an orientation aligned with the aperture axis to an orientation generally perpendicular to the aperture axis between the sacrum and ilium. This dimensional change allows the cutting element to achieve sufficient length and strength for cutting while still being guided through the small aperture by the flexible probe.
2Ease of operation
If a lateral approach with a cutter is used, then the cutter can be inserted between the surfaces, but the non-planar surfaces make it difficult to effectively abrade and harvest bone tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The probe is designed with flexibility to adapt to the non-planar surfaces of the sacrum and ilium. This dynamic capability allows the probe to conform to the curved and irregular bone surfaces, enabling effective bone abradation and tissue harvesting despite the lack of planarity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes controlled deflection of the cutting element and flexibility of the probe to adjust to the varying geometry of the bone surfaces. By changing the spatial orientation and contact parameters of the cutting element relative to the bone surfaces, the system maintains effective bone abradation capability on non-planar anatomy.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cutting element is made flexible to navigate non-planar surfaces, then the device can adapt to the bone geometry, but the cutting element may not maintain sufficient structural integrity for effective cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the navigation function (flexible probe) from the cutting function (rigid cutting element). The probe provides adaptability to non-planar surfaces through its flexibility, while the cutting element maintains structural integrity through its rigid construction, allowing it to effectively cut bone despite the flexible nature of the overall device architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting element is oriented perpendicular to the aperture axis between the sacrum and ilium, creating a dimensional change that allows the element to achieve sufficient length and rigidity for effective cutting while the flexible probe guides it through the aperture. This spatial reorientation resolves the contradiction between flexibility for navigation and rigidity for cutting.
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 system effectively exposes bleeding bone on adjacent bone surfaces, enabling autologous bone fusion with minimal tissue loss and improved fusion success rates by using a contained, cost-effective process that utilizes the patient's own tissue.
Implementation Method 1
The first bone and the second bone are abraded with the sharpened tip to cause bleeding bone to be exposed on the first bone and the second bone
Data Source
AI summary
A bone fusion system including a collection vessel, an abrading and harvesting device, tubing and a probe. The abrading and harvesting device includes a needle portion and a sharpened tip. The needle portion has a central bore extending therethrough. The needle portion has a distal end. The sharpened tip is attached to the distal end of the needle portion. The tubing is operably connecting the collection vessel and the abrading and harvesting device. The probe has a threaded portion and a tip portion at a distal end of the threaded portion. The threaded portion has a thread on an outer surface thereof. The tip portion is unsharpened and does not have a thread on an outer surface thereof. The probe is extendible through the central bore.