Flexible Driver Instrument for ACL Graft Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for securing tendon and ligament grafts, such as ACL grafts, in bone tunnels during soft tissue repair often result in graft damage due to contact with interference screws and require hyperflexion of the knee, limiting access and success in the repair process.
Innovation Solution
A surgical device featuring a flexible driver with interlocking segments and a slide instrument with separate channels to position and secure grafts without direct contact, allowing for secure anchoring while minimizing damage and enabling access at a normal knee angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional rigid and linear instrumentation is used to secure the graft, then the graft can be positioned and secured, but the knee must undergo hyperflexion which limits access and complicates the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The driver instrument incorporates a flexible portion in its shaft that allows the instrument to bend and navigate curved access pathways. This dynamic flexibility enables the instrument to reach the native insertion site without requiring the knee to be in hyperflexion, thereby improving ease of operation while eliminating the complexity of hyperflexion positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft of the driver includes a flexible portion that can bend and conform to curved anatomical pathways. This flexible structure allows the instrument to access the bone tunnel through curved paths, eliminating the need for knee hyperflexion and simplifying the surgical procedure
2Reliability
If an interference screw is positioned into the bone tunnel adjacent to the graft, then the graft can be secured, but the graft may be damaged through contact with the interference screw
Solution Approach 1:
A slide instrument is introduced as an intermediary device between the interference screw and the graft. The slide has separate channels that guide the interference screw into the bone tunnel while preventing direct contact with the graft. This intermediary structure ensures reliable graft fixation through the interference screw while eliminating the harmful effect of graft damage from direct contact
Solution Approach 2:
The slide instrument is divided into separate channels, with one channel for the interference screw and another for the graft. This segmentation physically separates the interference screw placement path from the graft, allowing the screw to be inserted and secured adjacent to the graft without direct contact, thereby ensuring fixation reliability while preventing graft damage
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 device effectively secures grafts with reduced risk of damage and improves access to the native insertion site, enhancing the success of soft tissue repair procedures like ACL reconstruction by allowing secure anchoring without direct contact and maintaining a normal knee angle.
Implementation Method 1
the shaft including a flexible portion along at least part of the length, the flexible portion including a plurality of interlocking segments
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
In one embodiment, the present invention is a device for carrying out a method of positioning and securing a graft to bone. The method includes the steps of: positioning the graft into a bore hole in the bone; positioning a guide wire into the bore hole in the bone; positioning a slide instrument between the guide wire and the graft; positioning a driver, and an anchor secured thereto, over the guide wire; directing the anchor along the guide wire and towards and into the bore hole; and imparting a rotational force to the anchor to secure the anchor between a sidewall of the bore hole and a portion of the graft.