Bone Joining Guide Tool for Precise Staple Hole Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drilling guide holes for surgical staples or screws in bones is often done free-hand, which is time-consuming and prone to errors in relative positioning and orientation, especially when multiple fasteners are used.
Innovation Solution
The use of a guide tool with fixed and adjustable drill guides that ensure accurate alignment of holes for receiving staple legs or a bone screw, allowing for faster and more precise fusion procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If guide holes are drilled free-hand, then the procedure is simpler and requires fewer tools, but the positioning and orientation accuracy of staple legs or screws deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling guide tool is divided into multiple independent drill guide elements, each responsible for guiding a specific hole. These segmented guides can be individually positioned and adjusted, allowing precise control over each hole's location and orientation while keeping each guide element relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guides are pre-positioned and fixed to the bone surface before drilling begins. This preliminary positioning ensures that all subsequent drilling operations follow the predetermined accurate paths, eliminating the need for complex real-time adjustments during the drilling process itself.
2Productivity
If guide holes are drilled free-hand, then the equipment required is minimal, but the time required for the procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
All drill guides are pre-positioned and secured to the bone before any drilling occurs. This preliminary setup, while requiring initial time investment, enables rapid sequential drilling of all holes without repeated positioning adjustments, thereby increasing overall drilling speed and procedure efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple drill guides are combined into a single integrated tool assembly that can guide all necessary holes simultaneously or in rapid succession. This merging of multiple guiding functions into one tool reduces the time required for repeated tool changes or repositioning operations.
3Strength
If multiple fasteners are used, then the strength and stability of bone fusion improves, but the complexity and time required for drilling guide holes increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling guide tool incorporates multiple separate drill guide elements, each designed to guide a specific fastener hole. This segmentation allows each guide to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall tool manageability, enabling accurate positioning of multiple fasteners without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide tool is designed as a multi-functional device that can guide holes for multiple different types of fasteners (screws, staples, etc.) in a single positioning setup. This universality allows the same tool assembly to serve multiple purposes, reducing the need for multiple specialized tools and thereby managing complexity while supporting multiple fasteners.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods are described for use in securing a first bone relative to a second bone using a pair of surgical staples or, alternatively, a surgical staple and a bone screw. When a pair of staples are used, one of the legs of one of the staples may pass between the legs of the another of the staples. When a staple and a bone screw are used, the bone screw may pass between the legs of the staple. A guide tool can be used during the drilling of the holes for the legs of the staples or the legs of the staple and a bone screw. The guide tool provides guides for drilling guide holes for the staples or for the screw and staple.