Drill Guide Turntable for Perpendicular Bone Conduction Implant Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
During bone conduction implantation surgery, ensuring a perfectly perpendicular alignment of the fixation screw with the temporal bone is challenging, leading to suboptimal device placement and increased surgical complexity.
Innovation Solution
A drill guide device featuring a turntable and slidable drill clip system that restricts drill movement to perpendicular alignment, facilitating accurate and stable drilling at various depths and angles, while being sterilizable and adaptable to different bone structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If surgeons rely on intuition and experience to ensure perpendicular drilling alignment, then the surgical process remains simple and quick to set up, but the alignment precision deteriorates leading to suboptimal device placement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a drill guide device as an intermediary tool between the surgeon and the bone surface. This device includes a template with a drill guide opening and a bearing that mechanically enforces perpendicular alignment, serving as a mediator that translates the surgeon's intent into precise perpendicular drilling without requiring complex measurements or calculations by the surgeon
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide device is prepared and positioned on the bone surface before drilling begins. The template is attached to the skin, the bearing is positioned, and the drill guide opening is aligned with the target site in advance, allowing the surgeon to simply insert the drill without needing to mentally calculate or physically measure the perpendicular angle during the critical drilling moment
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed drilling depth is used, then the drilling process is simpler and faster, but the device cannot adapt to different bone thicknesses and structures
Solution Approach 1:
The drill clip feature is designed to be movable rather than fixed. It can be positioned at different depths along the drill shaft and locked into place, allowing the drilling depth to be dynamically adjusted based on the patient's specific bone thickness and anatomical structure, transforming a static tool into an adaptive one
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide device allows for localized adjustment of drilling parameters. Each drilling site can have its own customized depth setting on the drill clip, and the template can be positioned at different locations on the bone surface, enabling the same device to accommodate varying bone characteristics at different anatomical locations
3Stability of the object's composition
If the fixation screw is not driven perpendicular to the temporal bone, then the drilling process is faster and more forgiving, but the device stability deteriorates causing overhang and stress on the attachment site
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing and drill guide opening are designed to create an equipotential condition for drilling - they establish a unique, energetically favorable perpendicular orientation that is mechanically equivalent to the ideal alignment. Any deviation from this perpendicular position encounters mechanical resistance from the bearing constraints, making perpendicular drilling the path of least resistance and natural alignment
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a drill guide for an implantable medical device includes a template comprising a turntable having a drill guide opening; and a drill clip connected to the turntable. In one embodiment, a drill guide for an implantable medical device includes a template comprising a template opening and a turntable having a drill guide opening coaxially aligned with the template opening, a drill interface connected to the turntable, and a support element connected to the drill interface extending from the turntable and offset from the drill guide opening.