Bone Implant Cutting Guide for Flatfoot Surgery Customization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing bone implants for correcting adult flatfoot deformity often require customization during surgery, which is challenging due to their sterilized animal bone or allograft composition, making it difficult to shape them appropriately in the operating room.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a cutting guide with a cavity and multiple slots, allowing for the insertion and cutting of bone implants to various sizes, facilitating the preparation of customized bone implants during surgical procedures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If bone implants are sterilized from animal bone or allograft to ensure safety and reliability, then reliability is improved, but ease of manufacture and adaptability deteriorate because they become difficult to shape tableside during surgery

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimplant safetyVSAvoidcustomization difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The bone implant is pre-formed and sterilized in advance according to standardized specifications, ensuring reliability and safety. The cutting guide is also pre-designed with multiple slots at different locations to facilitate precise customization during surgery without compromising the implant's sterile status or structural integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The implant can be customized by changing its dimensional parameters (size, shape, thickness) through controlled cutting at different locations. The cutting guide provides multiple slots at varying positions that allow adjustment of implant parameters to match different patient requirements while maintaining the pre-sterilized state of the implant material

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If bone implants are made from sterilized animal bone or allograft to ensure biocompatibility, then reliability is improved, but adaptability deteriorates because they are difficult to shape appropriately in the operating room

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovebiocompatibilityVSAvoidcustomization capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The cutting guide is divided into multiple functional elements including multiple slots positioned at different locations and depths. This segmentation allows selective cutting at different positions to achieve various implant shapes and sizes while maintaining the integrity of the pre-sterilized bone material

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If a cutting guide with multiple slots is designed to facilitate customization of bone implants, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoidcutting guide structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting guide is designed as a universal tool that can accommodate multiple implant sizes and shapes through a single device. The guide includes multiple slots at different locations and depths that can be used for various cutting operations, eliminating the need for multiple separate cutting guides or templates

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple functional features are merged into a single cutting guide structure, including alignment features, multiple slots at varying positions, and retention mechanisms. This integration reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall customization process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12303407B2Instruments for preparing bone implants

Publication Date: 2025.05.20 WRIGHT MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

A system includes a cutting guide and a cutting template. The cutting guide has a body including a plurality of sides that together define a cavity that is accessible via an opening defined by a first side of the plurality of sides. A second side of the plurality of sides defines at least two elongate slots. The second side is disposed adjacent to the first side and at a distance from an opposed third side. Each of the at least two slots is in communication with the cavity and disposed at a different location along the second side. The cutting template has a body defining at least one elongate slot. The cutting template is configured to be engaged with the cutting guide such that the at least one elongate slot of the cutting template aligns with at least one of the at least two elongate slots of the cutting guide.