Coupled Sawing Templates for Knee Joint Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instrumentariums for preparing femurs and tibias for knee joint endoprosthesis implantation require multiple sawing templates, increasing production costs and complexity, with different templates needed for left and right knees and varying cuts.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrumentarium comprising a first sawing template with three intersecting cutting planes and a second sawing template with a fourth guidance slot, coupled in a force- and form-fitting manner to form a 4-in-1 sawing block, allowing all necessary cuts to be performed with only two templates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different sawing templates are used for preparing femur and tibia for left and right knee joints, then the surgical procedure can be performed accurately for different anatomical variations, but the number of templates increases production costs and device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The sawing template is designed with multiple guidance slots (three for femur, one for tibia) that can perform multiple cutting functions. The template can be used on both femur and tibia bones, and for both left and right knee joints, eliminating the need for separate templates for each anatomical variation and surgical requirement.
Solution Approach 2:
The template is divided into functional segments with distinct guidance slots for different cutting planes. The first template has three guidance slots for femoral cuts and the second template has one guidance slot for tibial cuts, allowing each slot to be optimized for its specific function while being part of a universal template system.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate sawing templates are used for femur and tibia preparation, then each template can be optimized for its specific bone, but the production costs and instrument management complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple templates that were previously produced separately (femur templates and tibia templates) are merged into a single universal template design. This consolidation reduces the total number of templates that need to be manufactured, stored, and managed, thereby reducing production costs while maintaining the specialized guidance slots needed for precise cutting on each bone type.
3Productivity
If multiple templates are used for different cutting planes and bones, then all necessary cuts can be made, but the risk of instrument mix-ups increases and surgical site visibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The universal template design with multiple guidance slots allows all necessary cuts for both femur and tibia to be made with a single template type, eliminating the need to switch between different template designs. This reduces the risk of selecting the wrong template during surgery while maintaining the ability to perform all required cutting planes.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to improve a surgical instrumentarium for preparing a femur and a tibia for the implantation of the knee joint endoprosthesis, which instrumentarium comprises a first sawing template with three guidance slots for guiding a saw blade, which three guidance slots define three intersecting cutting planes, in such a way that the number of necessary instruments of the instrumentarium may be reduced, it is proposed that the instrumentarium comprises a second sawing template, that the second sawing template has a fourth guidance slot for guiding a saw blade, and that the first sawing template and the second sawing template are coupled to each other in a force- and/or form-fitting manner in a coupling position and are separated from each other in a separating position.