Bone Plate Cable Tensioning Instrument
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bone plate systems for securing and stabilizing bones, particularly in cardiovascular surgery, face issues with loosening wires that allow relative movement of bone portions, affecting post-operative fusion and requiring separate tools for cutting wires and plates, which increases the time for accessing the chest cavity in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A bone plate system with a cable and locking device that tightens around bone portions to secure them, utilizing both the high tensile strength of the cable and bone anchors for stable fixation, and a rotary tensioning device for efficient cable tensioning, allowing rapid and secure approximation of bone halves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If twisted wires are used to secure sternal halves, then the bones can be secured together, but the wires may loosen over time and permit relative movement of the sternal halves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional twisted wire mechanical system with a cable and locking device system. The cable is tensioned using a ratchet mechanism that prevents loosening, and the locking device secures the cable to the bone plate, eliminating the problem of wire loosening while maintaining bone stabilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameters of the fixation system by using a high-tensile-strength cable instead of wire, and implementing a tensioning mechanism that maintains constant tension. This prevents the parameter change (loosening) that occurs with traditional wire systems.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate tools are used for cutting wires and plates, then precise cutting can be achieved, but it increases the time for accessing the chest cavity in emergency situations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wire cutting function and plate cutting function into a single integrated cutting device. This allows both cutting operations to be performed with one tool, significantly reducing the time required for emergency sternal access while maintaining precise cutting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting device is designed with universal functionality to cut both the cable/wire and the bone plate. This multi-functional tool eliminates the need for multiple specialized tools, streamlining the emergency access procedure.
3Productivity
If a rotary tensioning device is used to tension the cable, then the cable can be tensioned efficiently and rapidly, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical tensioning systems with a simpler ratchet-based rotary tensioning device. The ratchet mechanism allows for rapid cable tensioning through rotational motion while preventing reverse motion, achieving high productivity with reduced mechanical complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone plate system for securing a plurality of bones is provided including a plate member, a locking device of the bone plate, and a surgical cable having a trailing end for being connected to the bone plate and a leading end for being advanced around the bones and into the locking device. The surgical cable may be tensioned to approximate the bones, urge the bones together, and seat the bone plate against the bones. The locking device may be reconfigured to a locked configuration to fix the bone plate to the surgical cable. The bone plate further includes a plurality of throughbores for receiving bone anchors that rigidly fix the bone plate to the bones. The bone plate system utilizes the tensile strength of the surgical cable and the rigid fixation between the bone anchors and the bone plate to resist relative movement of the bones.