Distal Locking Intramedullary Nail Tip Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
The distal locking of intramedullary nails is challenging due to the length of the strip, which often warps, leading to prolonged surgical time and increased intraoperative risks for patients, as it requires multiple attempts and prolonged exposure to radiation.
Innovation Solution
A distal locking intramedullary nail with a distal tip featuring two or more blades secured by a pin, which can rotate and engage the inner wall of the medullary canal upon advancement of an inner shaft, allowing for mechanical stabilization without the need for transfixing screws, utilizing a biocompatible material like stainless steel or titanium and a ratchet-driven mechanism for activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional transfixing screws are used for distal locking, then the nail can stabilize comminuted fractures, but the surgical time increases and radiation exposure increases due to multiple attempts and prolonged procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the distal locking function from the conventional transfixing screw approach and integrates it directly into the nail tip structure. The distal tip includes locking elements that can be activated without requiring separate transfixing screws, thereby reducing surgical time while maintaining fracture stabilization capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the distal locking mechanism with the nail tip structure itself. The distal tip incorporates locking elements that are activated by the same insertion mechanism, combining the functions of nail insertion and distal locking into a single integrated operation, thus reducing surgical time and radiation exposure
2Reliability
If conventional transfixing screws are used for distal locking, then the nail can prevent telescoping, but the intraoperative risks increase due to prolonged procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the telescoping prevention function from the separate transfixing screw procedure and incorporates it into the integrated distal tip locking mechanism. This eliminates the need for prolonged manipulation and reduces intraoperative risks associated with extended surgical procedures
3Reliability
If the strip is made long to ensure distal locking, then the locking capability is improved, but the strip warps more easily leading to procedural failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the distal locking function into discrete locking elements integrated at the tip rather than relying on a long continuous strip. This segmentation reduces the overall strip length and minimizes warping while maintaining effective distal locking capability through the distributed locking elements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces surgical time, minimizes radiation exposure, and decreases intraoperative risks by enabling efficient distal locking of the nail, allowing for effective stabilization of the fractured bone without the need for conventional distal locking bolts, thereby improving patient recovery prognosis.
Implementation Method 1
The hollow inner portion has an internal threading for receiving an inner shaft having a threaded portion. Twisting of the inner shaft, with the threaded portion engaged with the internal threading of the hollow inner portion
Implementation Method 2
Twisting of the inner shaft... causes a distal end of the inner shaft to advance distally through the hollow inner portion... and to impact a proximal end of the two or more blades, thereby causing the two or more blades to rotate about the pin
Data Source
AI summary
A distal locking intramedullary nail is provided. The distal locking intramedullary nail includes a distal tip and a hollow inner portion. The distal tip includes two or more blades secured by, and rotatable about, a pin. The hollow inner portion has an internal threading for receiving an inner shaft having a threaded portion. Twisting of the inner shaft, with the threaded portion engaged with the internal threading of the hollow inner portion of the distal locking intramedullary nail, causes a distal end of the inner shaft to advance distally through the hollow inner portion of the distal locking intramedullary nail and to impact a proximal end of the two or more blades, thereby causing the two or more blades to rotate about the pin and to engage an inner wall of a patient's medullary canal.