Endomedullary Nail Split Hole Cephalic Screw Configurations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endomedullary nails for proximal femur fractures have limited versatility, as the cephalic screw configuration is predetermined for specific fracture types, restricting the ability to change the screw arrangement during surgical intervention without removing the nail from the medullar cavity.
Innovation Solution
An endomedullary nail with a proximal portion featuring a first hole split into two passages with predetermined angle relationships, allowing selective engagement of cephalic screws to achieve two different configurations: parallel-axis and convergent-axis orientations, enabling adaptation to various fracture types without removing the nail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the nail has a predetermined cephalic screw configuration, then fracture stabilisation is ensured, but the versatility to treat different fracture types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The first hole is designed with two passages having different orientations (first passage with first orientation, second passage with second orientation), allowing the screw configuration to be dynamically changed by selecting different passages during surgery, thus adapting to different fracture types while maintaining reliable stabilisation
Solution Approach 2:
The nail structure provides multiple functions through the split first hole with two passages, enabling it to accommodate both parallel-axis and convergent-axis screw configurations, making a single nail suitable for treating various fracture types including pertrochanteric fractures and femur neck fractures
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cephalic screw configuration is changed, then adaptability to different fracture types is improved, but the structural integrity of the nail is weakened
Solution Approach 1:
The first hole is segmented into two separate passages, each providing a different screw orientation option. This segmentation allows configuration adaptability while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the nail, as each passage is designed to accommodate screws without compromising the nail's strength
3Ease of operation
If the surgeon chooses the nail before intervention, then the procedure is simplified, but the ability to adjust screw orientation during surgery is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The nail maintains simple preoperative selection (as with traditional nails) but gains intraoperative adaptability through the two-passages design, allowing the surgeon to choose the appropriate passage configuration during surgery based on the actual fracture type observed, thus combining procedural simplicity with operational flexibility
Data Source
AI summary
An endomedullary nail for the treatment of proximal femur fractures, comprising an elongate body (12) having a proximal portion (14) and a distal portion (16). The proximal portion (14) has a first and a second hole (20, 21) for a respective cephalic screw (22, 23, 24, 25), each having a transversal axis to the axis of the proximal portion (14). The first hole (20) is split into two passages each having a respective axis (A, B) with a predetermined angle relationship with respect to the axis (C) of the second hole (21). The passages (30, 31) are arranged to be selectively engaged by a respective cephalic screw (22, 24).