Floating Meniscus Replacement Device with Containment Cavity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current knee replacement procedures, such as total and unicompartmental knee replacements, are invasive and cause significant pain and rehabilitation time, as they require removing and replacing both cartilage surfaces, even if only one is damaged, and do not effectively address the need for less traumatic and bone-sparing solutions that can maintain joint function and load-bearing capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A meniscus replacement device comprising a first and second tissue-interface surface shaped to fit the femur and tibia, respectively, with a containment cavity to inhibit movement and a locking structure, allowing the device to float within the joint without penetrating bone, thereby reducing trauma and maintaining joint integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional knee replacement procedures are performed, then joint function and load-bearing capability are restored, but significant bone removal and tissue damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate components: a first component with a first tissue-interface surface that interfaces with the femur, and a second component with a second tissue-interface surface that interfaces with the tibia. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific bone interface while collectively providing the full joint replacement function, thereby reducing the need for extensive bone removal compared to traditional monolithic replacements.
Solution Approach 2:
The device introduces soft tissue-interface surfaces as intermediaries between the bone components and the joint. These surfaces are designed to interface with the femur and tibia without requiring direct bone-to-bone contact or extensive bone removal, thereby reducing bone damage while maintaining load-bearing capability through the intermediary soft tissue interfaces.
2Reliability
If both cartilage surfaces are removed and replaced, then joint function is restored, but rehabilitation time and pain increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device applies partial action by replacing only the necessary soft tissue interfaces rather than removing both cartilage surfaces. The first and second components interface with the femur and tibia respectively, providing sufficient joint function without the excessive removal of healthy tissue, thereby reducing rehabilitation time and pain associated with extensive cartilage removal.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a free-floating meniscus component is used, then bone trauma is reduced, but device stability and movement control become challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The first component is nested within the containment cavity of the second component. This nesting arrangement provides stability by constraining the movement of the first component relative to the second component while maintaining the free-floating interface with the bone surfaces. The containment cavity acts as a protective shell that limits excessive movement without requiring bone penetration or fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes flexible soft tissue-interface surfaces that can deform under load to provide stability. The first and second components are formed of relatively soft materials that can flex and adapt to the bone surfaces, providing stable contact and load distribution without requiring rigid fixation or bone penetration, thereby reducing bone trauma while maintaining device stability.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If soft material is used for the first component, then tissue interface compatibility is improved, but radial expansion under load occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The device applies local quality by using relatively soft material for the first component to improve tissue interface compatibility at the femoral surface, while the second component is formed of relatively less soft material to provide structural support and limit radial expansion. Each component's material properties are locally optimized for its specific function, allowing the soft first component to interface comfortably with tissue while the more rigid second component prevents excessive expansion.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs composite material properties by combining a relatively soft first material with a relatively less soft second material in a single assembly. This composite approach allows the first component to provide tissue-compatible interfaces while the second component provides structural stability and limits radial expansion, achieving both tissue compatibility and dimensional stability through material composition.
Data Source
AI summary
A meniscus replacement device for replacing damaged soft tissue at a host knee includes a first component comprising a first tissue-interface surface shaped to free-floatingly interface with tissue structure of one of a femur and a tibia in a knee joint having a damaged soft tissue, and comprises a second component comprising a second tissue-interface surface shaped to free-floatingly interface with a second tissue structure of the other of the femur and the tibia in the knee joint. The second component may include a containment cavity receiving at least a portion of the first component. In another form, the free floating soft joint tissue replacement component and the base component are fixed together. In some aspects, the second tissue-interface surface is shaped to fit contours of a natural tibia plateau. In some aspects, the first tissue-interface surface is shaped to fit contours of a femoral surface.