Bone Pin Connection Device Locking With Reuse Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a cost-effective, safe, and reliable system for connecting a connection device to a bone with a bone pin, addressing the challenges of reusability and quality control in medical devices, particularly for devices where the need for single-use does not easily become clear from their intended use.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a connection device with a locking mechanism that engages a bone pin, allowing movement between locked and unlocked positions, and a blocking mechanism to prevent reuse, along with a retaining mechanism to secure the locking device in place, ensuring the device cannot be reused without proper tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reusable connection device is used to reduce costs, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but quality control and safety may deteriorate due to potential off-label use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a disposable bone pin that is destroyed during the locking process. The bone pin includes a destructible section that breaks when the locking device is activated, preventing any possibility of reuse. This eliminates quality control concerns associated with reusable devices while maintaining cost-effectiveness through the controlled destruction of a single-use component.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates preliminary blocking mechanisms that are activated before the bone pin can be reused. The blocking member is positioned to obstruct the opening prior to any potential reuse attempt, and the destructive locking action occurs in advance to ensure the bone pin cannot be removed or reused. This preliminary action prevents off-label use before it can occur.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to prevent reuse, then quality control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection device is segmented into distinct functional components: a reusable connection device body, a disposable bone pin with a destructible section, and a locking device. This segmentation allows the complex locking and blocking functions to be isolated in separate components rather than integrated into the main device, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining quality control.
Solution Approach 2:
The blocking function is extracted as a separate blocking member that is integrated into the connection device but operates independently. The destructible section of the bone pin is extracted as a specific functional element that performs the quality control function of preventing reuse. This extraction simplifies the design by separating quality control functions from the main connection function.
3Reliability
If a blocking mechanism is implemented to prevent reuse, then quality control is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bone pin performs self-service by automatically destroying itself during the normal locking operation. The destructible section breaks when the locking device is activated, automatically preventing reuse without requiring any additional action from the operator. This self-service approach maintains ease of operation while ensuring quality control through automatic prevention of off-label use.
Solution Approach 2:
The quality control function of preventing reuse is merged with the normal locking operation. The same locking action that secures the bone pin to the connection device also destroys the destructible section, combining the useful locking function with the quality control function in a single operation. This merging eliminates the need for separate blocking actions, maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1D
Figure 2A~2D
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
System for connecting a connection device to a bone with a bone pin, wherein the system comprises a connection device provided with an opening for receiving the bone pin, and wherein the system further comprises a locking device arranged to be received in the opening of the connection device and which is arranged to engage the bone pin for locking the bone pin with respect to the connection device, wherein the locking device is movable between a locked position, wherein the bone pin is locked with respect to the connection device, and an unlocked position wherein the bone pin is movable with respect the connection device, wherein the system further comprises a blocking mechanism for at least partially blocking the opening in the connection device upon removal of the bone pin from the opening.