Bilateral Bone Plate with Deformable Bridges for Intraoperative Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopedic plates require extensive inventories of differently adapted plates for various bones and sides of the body, which is costly and not feasible for veterinary use, where a more general-purpose approach is needed.
Innovation Solution
A system of two shapes of rigid metal bone plates, one 't'-shaped and one straight, with nodes and deformable bridges, allowing for customization and adaptation to different bone sizes and anatomies through bending and reshaping, accommodating both left and right sides with a limited number of designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If anatomical plates are designed to closely fit specific bone contours, then treatment precision and bone fit are improved, but inventory complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate is designed with bilateral symmetry allowing the same plate to be used on both left and right sides of the body. The plate can be configured in multiple orientations (e.g., cross-arm positioned at different locations along the body) to treat various bone positions, making a single plate design serve multiple anatomical locations and reducing the number of unique plate designs needed in inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone plate incorporates deformable bridges between rigid nodes that allow the plate to be bent and shaped intraoperatively to match the specific contours of the patient's bone. This dynamic adaptability enables a standardized plate design to achieve custom anatomical fit without requiring pre-manufactured variants for every bone shape and size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If extensive inventory of specialized plates is maintained for different bones and sides, then treatment adaptability is improved, but cost and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single bone plate design with bilateral symmetry and configurable orientation can treat multiple bone locations and sides, replacing the need for separate left-sided and right-sided plate inventories. The plate's versatility is achieved through its ability to be positioned and oriented in different configurations during surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable bridge structure allows the plate to be customized intraoperatively to fit specific bone contours and sizes, providing treatment adaptability without requiring pre-manufactured plates for every anatomical variation. This reduces inventory needs while maintaining the ability to adapt to different patient anatomies.
3Quantity of substance
If basic general-purpose plates are used in veterinary medicine, then inventory cost is reduced, but anatomical fit and treatment effectiveness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate features deformable bridges that allow intraoperative bending and shaping to match the specific anatomical contours of veterinary bones. This enables a single general-purpose plate design to achieve custom anatomical fit for different bone sizes and shapes, providing both cost efficiency and treatment effectiveness.
Data Source
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AI summary
A bone plate has first and second sides, each with the same structure. The plate includes nodes separated by deformable bridges. Each node defines a screw hole, and wings extending laterally therefrom. The wings taper in thickness between the first and second sides. Screw holes are threaded into the nodes. Each of the first and second sides of the body define longitudinal channels in the nodes. The plate can be shaped to the bone by deformation at the bridges or removal of portions of the plate at bridges. A pair of benders, each with clamp bracket and clamping bolt threadedly coupled within a threaded hole of the bracket, is also provided for shaping the plate.