Compression Screw With Integrated Suture Fixation Holes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current compression screws for bone fractures lack integration with sutures, requiring separate suture anchors that increase surgical complexity, time, and patient recovery, and often cause soft tissue irritation due to bulky heads and uneven bone surface adaptation.
Innovation Solution
A compression screw system with a low-profile head that integrates suture fixation holes and a drive mechanism for direct suture attachment, allowing for suture anchoring without separate anchors and minimizing soft tissue irritation through a low-profile design that sits level with the bone surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate suture anchors are used to repair soft tissue injuries accompanying bone fractures, then soft tissue repair can be achieved, but surgical complexity and procedure time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the compression screw and suture anchor into a single integrated device. The compression screw includes a head with a suture fixation feature (such as a suture hole or suture anchor receptacle) that allows sutures to be attached directly to the screw head. This eliminates the need for separate suture anchor implants, reducing the number of surgical steps and devices required while maintaining both bone compression and soft tissue repair functions.
2Force
If bulky compression screw heads are used, then compression strength is sufficient, but soft tissue irritation and damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different surface characteristics on different parts of the compression screw. The head portion that contacts soft tissue is designed with a low-profile, smooth surface to minimize irritation, while the threaded shaft portion maintains sufficient thread depth and geometry to provide adequate compression force. This localized differentiation allows the device to satisfy both soft tissue compatibility and mechanical compression requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a low-profile head design that can dynamically adapt to the bone surface contour. The head may include a contoured or angled surface that allows it to sit flush against varying bone surfaces, reducing protrusion and minimizing soft tissue irritation while maintaining compression effectiveness through the screw mechanism.
3Adaptability or versatility
If variable-angle compression screws are used, then adaptation to varying bone surfaces improves, but soft tissue irritation and protrusion problems persist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses this by providing a low-profile head design with specific local surface characteristics that minimize soft tissue contact area and irritation. The head may include a contoured surface or rounded edges at the soft tissue interface, while the angular adaptation capability is maintained through the head-shaft connection mechanism. This localized optimization reduces protrusion effects even when the screw is angled to match bone surface variations.
Data Source
AI summary
A compression screw comprising a threaded shaft and a head associated with the proximal end of the shaft. The head has a plurality of outwardly extending projections spaced from one another so as to define a plurality of recesses there between for receiving a screw drive in such a way that rotational force may be transferred from the screw drive to the screw. The projections of the head may be provided with suture fixation holes or a suture coupling may be positioned over the shaft so as to extend between the projections of the head.