Cartilage Repair Guide Tool with Height Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical tools for implanting cartilage replacement implants in joints lack precision and ease of use, leading to potential misalignment and increased wear on the joint, which can result in prolonged convalescence and reduced effectiveness of the surgery.
Innovation Solution
A guide tool with a guide base and guide body equipped with a height adjustment device, featuring a guide channel that extends through the guide body and height adjustment mechanism, allowing for precise placement and adjustment of implants during surgery, thereby facilitating optimal repair of damaged cartilage with minimal damage to surrounding tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional surgical tools are used for implanting cartilage replacement implants, then the surgery can be performed, but precision and ease of use are insufficient leading to potential misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tool serves as an intermediary device between the surgeon and the implant. It includes a guide body with a guide channel that directs the implant into precise alignment, and a height adjustment device that acts as a mediator to set the correct implant depth. This intermediary tool eliminates the need for the surgeon to directly manipulate the implant, thereby achieving both high precision and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tool is prepared in advance with pre-set height adjustments and alignment features. The height adjustment device is configured before surgery to match the specific implant requirements, and the guide channel is pre-positioned to ensure correct orientation. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex intraoperative adjustments, improving both precision and ease of use during the actual surgery.
2Reliability
If implants are inserted without precise guidance, then the procedure is simpler, but misalignment occurs causing increased wear and load on the joint
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tool is divided into distinct functional segments: a guide base for positioning, a guide body with guide channel for alignment, and a height adjustment device for depth control. Each segment performs a specific function, making the overall system reliable for ensuring proper implant placement while keeping individual components relatively simple and manageable.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed guide channel length is used, then the device is simpler, but it cannot accommodate varying implant depths and cartilage damage locations
Solution Approach 1:
The guide channel length is made dynamic through the height adjustment device, which allows the guide channel to be extended or retracted to different lengths. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the guide tool to adapt to varying implant depths and cartilage damage locations while maintaining a relatively simple base structure, thus improving versatility without excessive complexity.
4Loss of time
If surgeons lack precision in implant placement, then the learning curve is longer and recovery time is extended, but adding complex guidance tools increases surgical complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tool is designed to be self-aligning and self-regulating. The guide channel automatically directs the implant into the correct position, and the height adjustment device self-adjusts to the predetermined depth setting. This self-service capability reduces the need for extensive surgeon training and minimizes surgical errors, thereby shortening the learning curve and convalescence time without requiring overly complex intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide tool adapted for removal of damage cartilage and bone and adapted for guiding insert tools during repair of diseased cartilage at an articulating surface of a joint is disclosed. The guide tool includes a guide base having a positioning body and a guide body protruding from the guide base. The guide body includes a height adjustment device and a guide channel with a length. The guide channel extends throughout the guide body and through the height adjustment device with one opening on a cartilage contact surface of the positioning body and one opening on the top of the height adjustment device. The guide body includes a height adjustment device being arranged to enable stepwise adjustment of the length.