Folding Surgical Guide for Tissue-Protective Bone Resection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing orthopaedic procedures face challenges in efficiently resecting bone defects while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues, particularly in procedures like total shoulder arthroplasty, where the subscapularis and rotator cuff tissues are at risk from conventional cutting instruments.

Innovation Solution

A surgical guide with pivotable shield portions and a housing that can transition between folded and deployed positions, allowing compact insertion through soft tissues and unfolding to encircle the bone for precise resection, while incorporating a resection slot to guide cutting instruments and protect surrounding tissues.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If a conventional cutting instrument is used to resect bone, then bone resection can be performed, but surrounding soft tissues (subscapularis and rotator cuff) are at risk of damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedamage to surrounding soft tissuesVSAvoidaccess to bone resection site

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A surgical guide acts as an intermediary device between the cutting instrument and the surrounding soft tissues. The guide includes a shield with a resection slot that directs the cutting instrument along a predetermined path, allowing bone resection while physically blocking and protecting the subscapularis and rotator cuff tissues from direct contact with the cutting instrument.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The surgical guide is divided into multiple segments including a shield portion and a housing portion that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the device to be collapsed into a compact configuration for insertion through soft tissues, then deployed to encircle the bone and provide protection during resection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the surgical guide is designed with a large shield to protect tissues, then tissue protection is improved, but the device becomes difficult to insert through soft tissues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection of surrounding tissuesVSAvoidsize of surgical guide for insertion

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical guide incorporates dynamic movement between its shield portion and housing portion. The housing can rotate relative to the shield, enabling the device to transition from a compact folded state for insertion to an expanded deployed state for tissue protection and bone resection. This dynamic configuration allows the large shield to be inserted through soft tissues in a compact form.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The surgical guide employs a nesting mechanism where the shield portion can be positioned inside or alongside the housing portion in a collapsed configuration. This nesting allows the large protective shield to be contained within a smaller overall package during insertion, then deployed outward to encircle the bone and provide full tissue protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS12369925B2Folding surgical guide and methods of repair

Publication Date: 2025.07.29 ARTHREX INC

AI summary

This disclosure relates to surgical devices and methods. The disclosed surgical device and method may be used to resect, cut or otherwise remove tissue during an orthopaedic procedure. The surgical device may be reconfigured to reduce a size of the surgical device during placement in the patient.