Expandable Implant Set Screw Tissue Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional soft tissue repair and reconstruction methods, such as tenodesis, often fail to properly anchor soft tissues like tendons to bones, leading to potential damage and improper fixation.
Innovation Solution
A surgical assembly comprising an expandable implant and driver system, where a set screw is used to secure the implant in a bone tunnel or socket, with a tapered section expanding the implant to ensure secure anchoring and minimize tissue damage, and a mechanism for simultaneous driver release upon completion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional techniques are used for soft tissue repair, then the procedure is simple, but the soft tissue is not properly anchored and may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical assembly is divided into distinct functional components: an expandable implant for anchoring, a driver for controlled insertion, and a set screw for securing. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant is pre-configured with an expandable structure and the driver is designed with predetermined engagement features. The set screw mechanism is pre-assembled with the implant, allowing for controlled expansion only after proper positioning. This preliminary preparation ensures reliable anchoring while simplifying the surgical procedure.
2Strength
If the implant is expanded to secure the tissue, then the anchoring strength is improved, but the risk of over-insertion and tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The driver mechanism incorporates a feedback system where the set screw must be fully inserted and secured before the implant can be expanded. The driver prevents expansion until the set screw reaches its final position, providing real-time feedback on insertion completeness. This ensures maximum anchoring strength is achieved only when proper positioning is confirmed, preventing tissue damage from premature or excessive expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant transitions from a compressed low-profile state during insertion to an expanded high-strength state after securing. This dynamic transformation allows the implant to minimize tissue disruption during insertion while maximizing anchoring strength after proper positioning is achieved through controlled expansion.
3Reliability
If the set screw is fully inserted to expand the implant, then the fixation is secure, but the driver must be released at the precise moment
Solution Approach 1:
The driver and set screw mechanism are designed to automatically disengage when the set screw reaches its fully inserted position. The driver's engagement features are configured to naturally release from the set screw head upon completion of insertion, eliminating the need for precise manual release timing. This self-service mechanism ensures reliable fixation while simplifying the surgical procedure.
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
The method and assembly provide a secure and efficient soft tissue repair that prevents over-insertion and tissue damage, ensuring a strong anchor and minimizing complications during the repair process.
Implementation Method 1
advancing the tapered section of the set screw in the hole of the implant, thereby expanding the implant and fixing the implant with the captured tissue in the tunnel or socket
Data Source
AI summary
A method of tissue repair using a surgical assembly that includes the steps of assembling an implant and a driver, capturing tissue with the implant, installing the implant with the captured tissue in a socket or tunnel, advancing a tapered section of a set screw in the implant, thereby expanding the implant and fixing the implant with the captured tissue in the socket or tunnel, and releasing the driver from engagement with the set screw as the distal end of the set screw reaches the implant's closed end. A surgical assembly that includes an expandable implant having a hole with an entrance at a rear end of the implant and a closed end; a set screw, an implant insertion section, a driver engagement section, and a tapered section, where the implant insertion section is received in the hole of the implant, and a driver that is engaged with the set screw.