Bone Stent With Flexible Cable For Rotational Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for stabilizing and immobilizing bone fractures, particularly in pediatric patients and specific bone locations like the tibia, face challenges in achieving proper alignment and rotational fixation, with risks of improper healing if stents are improperly inserted or aligned.
Innovation Solution
A stent apparatus comprising proximal and distal end caps connected by elongated members and a flexible cable that responds to compressive force to laterally bend and expand, allowing for secure fixation within the bone and elastic return for removal, utilizing materials like stainless steel and designed for various bone structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional plates and screws are used to immobilize bone fractures, then the bone can be stabilized during healing, but the surgical complexity and risk of improper alignment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is divided into multiple elongated members (at least three) that can be independently positioned and adjusted. Each elongated member can be separately inserted and secured to the bone, allowing for modular assembly and easier alignment during surgery, thereby reducing surgical complexity while maintaining stabilization reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The stent incorporates flexible cables and adjustable end caps that allow dynamic adjustment of the stent's configuration after insertion. The flexible cables enable the end caps to be moved relative to each other, allowing surgeons to adjust the stent's position and alignment post-insertion to ensure proper bone alignment, thus reducing the risk of improper alignment without requiring complex pre-planning
2Reliability
If flexible nails are used for pediatric patients to avoid growth plates, then growth plate integrity is preserved, but achieving proper rotational fixation and alignment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The stent adds rotational control capability to the traditional flexible nail approach by incorporating multiple elongated members arranged in different orientations and planes. This multi-dimensional configuration allows surgeons to control not only longitudinal positioning but also rotational alignment of the bone fragments, achieving proper rotational fixation while still using flexible materials that protect growth plates in pediatric patients
3Manufacturing precision
If a stent is improperly inserted or aligned, then bone fracture alignment is compromised, but traditional methods lack mechanisms for post-insertion adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The stent incorporates flexible cables that enable dynamic adjustment of the end caps' positions relative to each other after insertion. This allows surgeons to adjust the stent's alignment and configuration post-insertion to ensure proper bone alignment, directly addressing the limitation of traditional static implants that cannot be adjusted after insertion
Solution Approach 2:
The stent allows changes in geometric parameters (position, orientation, spacing) of the elongated members and end caps after insertion. By adjusting the flexible cables, surgeons can modify the stent's configuration to achieve optimal bone alignment, ensuring manufacturing precision even when initial insertion is not perfectly aligned
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The stent effectively stabilizes bone fractures by securely expanding to align and fixate bones during healing, with the ability to be easily removed once healed, addressing the challenges of alignment and insertion complexity in existing techniques.
Implementation Method 1
the elongated members elastically return to the uncompressed state
Data Source
AI summary
A bone stent facilitates bone fixation via interior contact, as may be useful for flexible entry into a sidewall of an elongated bone. As consistent with one or more embodiments, a stent includes proximal and distal end caps connected by a plurality of elongated members extending longitudinally between the end caps, and a flexible cable extending through the proximal end cap and connected to one of the end caps. The flexible cable, end caps and elongated members are responsive to the end caps being moved toward one another by laterally bending the elongated members outwardly away from one another, with the cable fixing the elongated members in the compressed state (e.g., while applying pressure to the interior sidewalls of a bone). When the end caps are released from the compressed state, the longitudinal compressive force is released and the elongated members elastically return to the uncompressed state.