Integrated Guide-Tip Bone Anchors for Single-Step Placement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone anchor installation procedures are time-consuming, cumbersome, and increase radiation exposure, with potential complications due to multiple steps requiring fluoroscopic guidance and risks of guidewire dislodgment or kinking.
Innovation Solution
Bone anchors and surgical instruments with integrated guide tips that combine targeting, tapping, and driving into a single step, eliminating the need for separate needles, stylets, and guidewires, and incorporating adjustable mechanisms for precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional multi-step procedure (needle, guidewire, tap, anchor) is used, then accurate trajectory and insertion depth can be confirmed with fluoroscopic guidance, but the process becomes time-consuming and increases radiation exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the needle, guidewire, and bone tap into a single integrated instrument. The guide tip serves as both the targeting element and the tapping element, eliminating the need for separate components. This integration allows the surgeon to perform targeting and tapping in a single motion, dramatically reducing procedural time while maintaining fluoroscopic guidance for accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tip is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as the targeting element for fluoroscopic guidance, the structural support for wireless operation, and the cutting element for bone removal. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate specialized tools for each function, reducing the number of steps required.
2Reliability
If multiple separate instruments (needle, guidewire, tap) are used, then each step can be controlled precisely, but the device complexity and number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges three separate instruments (needle with stylet, guidewire, and bone tap) into one integrated device. The guide tip is a single component that incorporates the targeting function, wire support function, and bone cutting function. This reduces component count from three separate instruments to one integrated instrument, simplifying the surgical kit while maintaining control precision through the wireless design.
3Measurement precision
If conventional procedure with separate needle and guidewire is used, then trajectory can be established, but the process of removing needle and tap can cause guidewire to dislodge
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip is designed as an integrated structure where the wire support function is built into the targeting element. The guide tip maintains continuous contact with the bone surface throughout the procedure, providing stable anchoring for the wireless guide wire. This integrated design eliminates the risk of guidewire dislodgment that occurs when separate needle and tap are removed, as the guide tip remains in place to secure the wire.
4Productivity
If advancing anchor or tap in conventional procedure, then bone opening is enlarged, but guidewire can become kinked and removal becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip is designed with a tapered geometry that allows it to be advanced into bone while maintaining a smooth, flexible structure. The integration of the wire support function into the targeting element ensures that the guide wire remains protected and aligned throughout the advancement process. The guide tip's design prevents kinking by maintaining constant contact with the bone surface, making wire removal straightforward compared to conventional separate instruments.
Data Source
AI summary
Bone anchors and surgical instruments (e.g., bone taps, drivers, etc.) are disclosed herein that include integrated guide tips. Use of these anchors or instruments can eliminate one or more of the steps in a conventional bone anchor installation procedure, improving surgical efficiency and safety. For example, a surgical instrument can include a guide projection configured for insertion through a cannulation formed in a bone anchor when the surgical instrument is coupled to the bone anchor. The surgical instrument can also include various mechanisms for adjusting the position of the guide projection relative to the bone anchor. The guide projection can replace the needle, stylet, and guidewire used in typical insertion procedures. The bone anchor can also include integrated tapping features to eliminate the need for a separate bone tap instrument. Thus, in some embodiments, targeting, tapping, and driving the bone anchor can be performed in a single step.