Deployable Bone Retention Tool for Precise Minimally Invasive Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical techniques require repeated insertion and removal of guide elements, such as k-wires, leading to additional wounds, pain, and increased recovery time due to their placement before fixation elements, complicating surgeries like bunion correction.
Innovation Solution
A surgical tool with a deployable retention block and targeting guide that allows precise positioning of bone fragments using a displacement tip and guide holes, minimizing the need for multiple insertions and reducing surgical complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If guide elements are inserted repeatedly to achieve desired placement, then positioning accuracy is improved, but patient trauma and recovery time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical tool performs preliminary positioning actions through the single incision before final fixation element insertion, eliminating the need for repeated guide element insertions and reducing patient trauma while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the guide element function from separate repeated insertions and integrates it into a single integrated tool that performs positioning and fixation through one incision, reducing the number of times guide elements need to be inserted and removed
2Measurement precision
If guide elements are inserted repeatedly to achieve desired placement, then positioning accuracy is improved, but surgical complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the positioning function and fixation function into a single integrated surgical tool, combining what were previously separate steps (guide element insertion and fixation element insertion) into one unified process, thereby reducing surgical complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical tool is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a positioning guide and as a fixation device through the same incision and pathway, eliminating the need for multiple specialized tools and procedures
3Measurement precision
If guide elements are inserted repeatedly to achieve desired placement, then positioning accuracy is improved, but surgical time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tool performs all necessary positioning actions through the single incision before final fixation, eliminating repeated insertions and removals that consume surgical time, thereby reducing overall surgical time while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical tool maintains continuous useful action from initial insertion through final fixation without requiring removal and reinsertion, keeping the surgical process continuous and efficient while achieving accurate positioning in a single operational sequence
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical tool includes a body defining an opening sized and configured to receive a first bone portion therein, a displacement tip coupled to a first end of the body, the displacement tip sized and configured for insertion into a medullary canal of a second bone portion, and a deployable retention block configured to be transitioned from a first position to a second position. The deployable retention block is configured to maintain the first bone portion in a predetermined position when the deployable retention block is in the second position.