Drill Guide With Track Portions For Staple Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing drill guides lack a means to facilitate the placement of surgical staples into pre-drilled holes, especially when visualization is impaired by blood or tissue at the surgical site, and when the staple is made of shape memory material transforming during placement.

Innovation Solution

The drill guide includes a support structure with guide members that have tubular and track portions, allowing a drill bit to form holes and guiding staple arms into these holes, maintaining the staple in a deformed configuration until it is advanced into the holes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If existing drill guides are used to drill holes and then removed, then the drilling function is achieved, but the surgeon cannot visualize the pre-drilled holes due to blood or tissue, making it difficult to align staple arms with the holes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehole drilling accuracyVSAvoidstaple alignment difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The drill guide combines two previously separate functions into one integrated device: (1) guiding the drill to create pre-drilled holes, and (2) guiding the staple arms into those same holes. The guide members remain in place after drilling, serving as continuous visual and physical guides for staple placement, eliminating the need to remove the guide between steps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide members act as an intermediary structure that bridges the gap between drilling and staple placement. They provide a physical reference framework that the surgeon can see and use to align staple arms with the pre-drilled holes, overcoming the visualization problem caused by blood and tissue at the surgical site.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the surgical staple is made of shape memory material, then the staple can transform from deformed to natural configuration, but the transformation may occur during positioning, complicating alignment with pre-drilled holes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestaple shape memory propertyVSAvoidstaple positioning control

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The guide members are positioned and secured in place before the staple is introduced and transformed. This preliminary setup creates a stable reference framework that remains fixed during the staple's shape memory transformation, allowing the surgeon to control when and how the transformation occurs while maintaining alignment guidance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces reliance on surgeon visualization and manual alignment skills with a physical guidance system. The guide members provide mechanical constraints and visual references that passively guide the staple arms into the correct positions, reducing the skill level and precision required by the surgeon during the transformation and placement process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If the surgeon must directly visualize the pre-drilled holes to align staple arms, then alignment precision may be achieved, but this is impossible when blood or tissue obscures the surgical site

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestaple hole alignment precisionVSAvoidsurgical site visualization

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide members serve as an intermediary visual reference system that does not depend on direct visualization of the pre-drilled holes. Instead of requiring the surgeon to see the holes through obscured tissue, the guide members provide external, visible reference points and physical channels that guide staple placement without needing to directly view the obscured surgical site.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide members are made from radiopaque materials that appear distinct under fluoroscopic imaging, creating a visible contrast against the obscured surgical site. This allows the surgeon to visualize the guide members and their orientation even when blood and tissue block direct optical visualization of the underlying bone and pre-drilled holes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentUS20250169830A1Drill guides for facilitating placement of surgical staples into pre-drilled holes and related methods of using the same

Publication Date: 2025.05.29 RC3 INNOVATIONS LLC

AI summary

A drill guide for facilitating placement of a surgical staple into pre-drilled holes formed in a patient may include a support structure and a plurality of guide members coupled to the support structure. Each of the guide members may have a proximal end and a distal end disposed opposite one another along a longitudinal axis of the guide member. Each of the guide members may include a tubular portion extending from the proximal end toward the distal end of the guide member and a track portion extending from the tubular portion toward the distal end of the guide member. The tubular portion may define a through passage extending along the longitudinal axis of the guide member. The track portion may define an open channel in communication with the through passage and extending along the longitudinal axis of the guide member.