Cannulated Drill Stylet for K-Wire Guidance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In minimally invasive spine surgery, particularly when using pedicel screws, the existing medical drilling devices face challenges as the drill must be removed to insert a K-wire, and the bone substance enters the drill's longitudinal channel, making it difficult to guide the K-wire accurately.

Innovation Solution

The medical drilling device features a mandrin that fills the longitudinal channel, preventing bone substance from entering and allowing the drill to be used as a guide for the K-wire without needing to be removed. The mandrin acts as a locking element, ensuring the K-wire can be placed in a defined manner.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a cannulated drill bit is used to drill into the bone, then the longitudinal channel is created for K-wire insertion, but bone substance penetrates and blocks the longitudinal channel, preventing direct K-wire insertion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of K-wire insertionVSAvoidchannel畅通性
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A stylet is inserted into the longitudinal channel of the cannulated drill bit before drilling begins. The stylet prevents bone substance from penetrating and blocking the channel during the drilling process, ensuring the channel remains clear for subsequent K-wire insertion without requiring drill bit removal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The stylet acts as an intermediary element between the drill bit and the K-wire. It temporarily occupies the longitudinal channel to prevent contamination by bone substance, then is removed to allow the K-wire to pass through the same channel, serving as a protective mediator throughout the procedure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the drill bit is removed to insert the K-wire, then the K-wire can be inserted, but the entry point location is lost and handling complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehandling simplicityVSAvoidoperating time
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The stylet is inserted into the longitudinal channel before drilling to maintain channel patency. This preliminary action eliminates the need to remove the drill bit afterward, allowing continuous guidance and direct K-wire insertion through the same channel, thereby preserving entry point location and reducing procedural steps.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If the stylet completely fills the longitudinal channel, then bone substance is prevented from entering, but the drill structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechannel protectionVSAvoiddrill structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The stylet serves multiple functions: it prevents bone substance from entering the longitudinal channel, maintains channel patency, and can be easily removed to allow K-wire insertion. This multi-functional design protects the channel without requiring additional complex structures or components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4267019B1Medical drill device and medical drill system
Publication Date: 2025.04.02 AESCULAP AG
  • EP4267019B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4267019B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4267019B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a medical drill device comprising a cannulated drill with a longitudinal channel which extends coaxially to the longitudinal axis of the drill. The drill device comprises a drill device coupling section at a proximal end for coupling to a handle or a drill machine in a rotationally fixed manner. The drill has a distal and a proximal end, and the drill device comprises a chuck with a distal chuck section and a proximal chuck section, wherein the distal chuck section is designed to insert and close the longitudinal channel of the drill over the entire length or substantially the entire length of the drill in a drilling position, and the drill comprises a drill coupling section in the region of the proximal end of the drill, said drill coupling section together with the proximal chuck section forming the drill device coupling section. The invention additionally relates to an improved medical drill system.