Implant Insertion Instrument Gripper and Threaded Rod Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current implant insertion instruments require user engagement with both hands to tighten the grip on implants, and the use of openings in the implant for threading can lead to bone growth issues, making extraction difficult.
Innovation Solution
A single-user operated implant insertion instrument with a handle that rotates to tighten the grip on an implant using a double-threaded implant rod and a gripper with opposing prongs, featuring a locking mechanism to fix the gripping tension, allowing for secure engagement without openings for threading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If current gripping mechanisms are actuated by user engagement with individual fingers, then the device can be operated manually, but the force required to tighten the grip on the implant is excessive and requires two hands
Solution Approach 1:
A threaded rod acts as an intermediary mechanism between the user's rotational input and the gripping force output. The rod converts rotational motion into linear displacement, which then actuates the gripper to close on the implant. This mechanical intermediary amplifies the user's input force, reducing the direct force requirement on the grip mechanism itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter from direct linear gripping force application to rotational motion input. By threading the rod through the gripper mechanism, a small rotational force applied over multiple rotations accumulates into significant linear gripping force, effectively changing how the user interacts with the system from force-intensive to motion-intensive operation.
2Reliability
If openings are provided in the implant for threading engagement, then the implant can be securely engaged by the gripper, but bone growth through the openings makes extraction difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the threading engagement feature from the implant itself and relocates it to the instrument's rod. The implant maintains its solid, continuous structure without openings, while the threaded rod provides the engagement interface. This separation allows secure engagement during insertion without creating permanent openings in the implant that would facilitate harmful bone growth.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded engagement is performed preliminarily during the insertion phase only. The rod threads into the implant to secure it during the surgical procedure, but this engagement is temporary and reversible. Once insertion is complete, the rod is removed, leaving the implant intact without any permanent openings or modifications that would encourage bone growth.
3Force
If the handle is designed to be gripped by the entire hand, then the force required to tighten the grip is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle serves multiple functions: it provides the user's grip interface, houses the rotational input mechanism for the threaded rod, and transmits the rotational force to actuate the gripper. By consolidating these functions into a single integrated component, the design achieves the desired ergonomics without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
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 instrument reduces the force required to secure an implant and minimizes bone growth by allowing easier implant extraction, as the gripper engages the outer surfaces of the implant, providing a secure and efficient surgical procedure.
Implementation Method 1
The carrier includes a threaded bore configured to engage the double lead threads of the implant rod
Implementation Method 2
The button and the locking ring each have a plurality of teeth have a front face and a complimentary ramped shaped back wall so as to allow the button to freely traverse the locking ring in one direction and prevent the button from traversing the locking ring in the other direction
Implementation Method 3
The inner surface of the first prong may include a gripping feature such as a plurality of ribs
Data Source
AI summary
An implant insertion instrument, and an implant are provided. The instrument includes a handle, a sleeve mounted to a distal end of the handle, and an implant rod disposed within the sleeve. The implant rod includes a gripper disposed on a distal end of the implant rod. The gripper has a first prong spaced apart from a second prong, the second prong being longer than the first prong. The implant includes an implant body, the implant body having a convex surface opposite a concave surface wherein an outer surface of the implant is continuous so as to prevent bone growth within the implant. Accordingly, the instrument facilitates the engagement of the implant by a simple push of the sleeve. Further, the implant has a continuous surface so as to inhibit bone growth and facilitate removal of the implant from the surgical site.