Bone Graft Delivery Apparatus with Multi-Position Plunger Stops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Delivering and positioning bone grafts during spinal surgery, such as posterior lumbar interbody fusion, is challenging due to the difficulty in accurately placing and stabilizing the grafts within the disc space.
Innovation Solution
A bone graft delivery apparatus featuring a housing with a barrel and handle, a magazine with multiple chambers for graft support, a plunger with stop mechanisms, and a trigger mechanism, allowing for precise control over the placement and release of bone grafts through various stop positions for ready, dispensing, and manipulating positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a bone graft delivery apparatus is used to deliver bone grafts into the disc space, then the delivery and positioning of bone grafts is enabled, but the difficulty in accurately placing and stabilizing the grafts within the disc space remains problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The plunger is designed to be movable along the longitudinal passageway, allowing dynamic adjustment of the bone graft position. The plunger can be advanced to push the bone graft out of the delivery apparatus or retracted to allow retrieval, enabling both delivery and repositioning operations through a single dynamic mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The longitudinal passageway serves as an intermediary structure that guides and controls the bone graft delivery. The passageway provides a controlled path from the magazine to the disc space, enabling precise delivery while maintaining the ability to retrieve or reposition the graft through the same passageway
2Quantity of substance
If multiple bone grafts need to be delivered during surgery, then the quantity of grafts available is increased, but the complexity of managing multiple grafts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The magazine is divided into multiple chambers, with each chamber designed to hold a single bone graft. This segmentation allows multiple grafts to be stored in an organized manner, with each chamber independently accessible through rotation, simplifying the management of multiple grafts
Solution Approach 2:
The magazine is designed to be rotatable, allowing dynamic selection of different chambers during surgery. This rotational capability enables the surgeon to access different bone grafts without disassembling the apparatus, reducing the complexity of managing multiple grafts
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~4D
AI summary
A magazine (34) supporting multiple bone grafts in chambers is coupled to a housing (12) including a barrel (14). A plunger (16) selectively passes through one of the chambers and along the barrel. A trigger mechanism (20) advances the plunger along the barrel. A selector knob (48) is movable into a plurality of positions, wherein each position employs one of a plurality of stops (50, 52, 54). One stop prevents the end of plunger from advancing past a predetermined ready position short of the end of the barrel when selected. Another stop prevents the plunger from advancing past a predetermined dispensing position substantially aligned with the end of the barrel when selected. Another stop prevents the plunger from advancing past a predetermined manipulating position beyond the end of the barrel when selected. In the manipulating position, the distal end of the plunger can be used to reposition the bone graft within the spinal disc cavity. Related methods are also provided.