Bone Plate Shaping System with Pre-Assembled Drill Guide Tips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for aligning and fixing metaphyseal fractures, such as Colles' fractures, are cumbersome and time-consuming, particularly when using fixed-angle fasteners with bone plates, as they require precise alignment of drill guides and reshaping of plates to fit anatomical contours, which can distort threads and prolong surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A bone plate shaping system with pre-assembled drill guide tips and shaping tools that allow for manual bending and reshaping of the plate in three dimensions, eliminating the need for on-site drill guide attachment and protecting thread integrity, enabling precise hole alignment and plate contouring directly on the bone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If drill guides are attached to the plate during surgery for each threaded hole, then precise hole alignment is achieved, but the surgical procedure becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide tips are pre-assembled into the threaded holes of the bone plate before surgery. This preliminary action eliminates the need to attach drill guides during the surgical procedure, reducing surgical time while maintaining precise hole alignment when the tips are used to guide drilling
2Shape
If the bone plate is reshaped during surgery to fit anatomical contours, then plate fit to anatomy is improved, but the threads in the threaded holes become distorted and cannot accept fasteners
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide tips are pre-assembled into the threaded holes before any reshaping occurs. The tips protrude through the plate surface and serve as protective references that guide both the reshaping process and subsequent drilling, ensuring threads remain undistorted and functional
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide tips act as intermediary elements that mediate between the reshaping tools and the threaded holes. During reshaping, the tips protect the threads from distortion while providing reference points for maintaining proper hole orientation and alignment
3Measurement precision
If multiple drill guides are attached and removed sequentially for each hole, then each hole is drilled with proper alignment, but the procedure becomes labor-intensive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple drill guide tips are simultaneously attached to the bone plate during manufacturing, combining multiple individual guide attachments into a single integrated configuration. This merging eliminates the need for sequential attachment and removal of individual guides during surgery, simplifying the procedure while maintaining alignment accuracy for all holes
Data Source
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AI summary
A fracture fixation plate shaping kit comprises a bone plate including a plurality of longitudinally displaced threaded holes and a plurality of removable tubular elements removably coupled in the threaded holes. A first shaping tool has a handle portion and a portion sized and shaped to engage with one of the tubular elements. A second shaping tool has a handle portion and an end portion sized and shaped to engage with another of the tubular elements. The first and second shaping tools can be engaged with the tubular elements for the manual application of force to the bone plate to bend the bone plate.