Femoral Neck Fixation Device Enabling Closed Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Femoral neck fractures often require invasive open-reduction surgery for fixation, leading to complications and prolonged recovery, with existing devices failing to provide sufficient implant spread, calcar support, and medial femoral neck buttress support, which can result in technical errors and impaired healing.
Innovation Solution
A bone fixation system comprising a plate, primary and supplemental fixation elements, and a buttress clip, designed for closed reduction without open exposure, providing fixed-angle fracture fixation with mechanisms to prevent rotation, caudal displacement, and femoral neck shortening, using cannulated barrels and malleable plates for optimal alignment and fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If open-reduction surgery is used for femoral neck fracture fixation, then adequate implant spread and calcar support can be achieved, but surgical invasiveness increases and recovery time prolongs
Solution Approach 1:
A reduction device with a reduction member acts as an intermediary tool inserted through the plate to enable closed reduction of the fracture. The reduction member can be advanced through the plate's reduction passage to apply controlled forces for fracture alignment without requiring open surgical exposure, thus achieving reliable fixation while reducing surgical invasiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation device is segmented into functional components: a plate with multiple passages (reduction passage, fixation passages), a reduction member separate from the plate, and fixation elements. This segmentation allows the reduction function to be performed through the plate without open surgery, while the fixation elements provide reliable mechanical support once the fracture is reduced
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional fixation devices are used, then basic fracture fixation can be achieved, but insufficient implant spread and calcar support result in technical errors and impaired healing
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is designed with locally optimized features: a reduction passage positioned to access the fracture site, multiple fixation passages distributed to provide broad implant spread, and specific structural characteristics at the calcar region. These local quality variations enable the device to achieve both ease of manufacture and reliable fixation with predictable healing
Solution Approach 2:
The plate is pre-configured with reduction passages and fixation passages in specific locations before implantation. The reduction member can be pre-positioned through the reduction passage to establish fracture alignment, and fixation elements can be pre-planned in the fixation passages to ensure adequate support from the outset, eliminating the need for open surgical exploration
3Object-affected harmful factors
If closed reduction is performed without specialized devices, then surgical invasiveness is reduced, but adequate fracture alignment and fixation cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The reduction member serves as a specialized intermediary device that can be inserted through the plate's reduction passage to provide precise control over fracture alignment during closed reduction. This mediator enables accurate positioning and alignment that would otherwise be unachievable through closed techniques alone
Solution Approach 2:
The device replaces the need for open mechanical manipulation and direct visual control with a closed-system approach using the reduction member and plate mechanism. The fixation passages and reduction passage provide predetermined mechanical pathways that guide the alignment process, substituting complex open mechanical manipulation with a simplified closed-system mechanism that achieves equivalent precision
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and devices for bone fracture fixations are described. The system enables the closed reduction of bone fracture fixation by means of a conformable fixed-angle fracture fixation device. The fixed angle fracture fixation device utilizes a series of fixation elements to secure the fracture at multiple fixed angles reducing the risk of nonunion, implant failure and the likelihood for patients to undergo subsequent operations.