Implantable Motorized Bone Adjustment With Hermetic Wireless Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone adjustment devices, such as limb lengthening nails, are cumbersome, painful, and have high infection rates due to percutaneous fixation, and they often fail to support full weight bearing and have unacceptable failure rates.
Innovation Solution
Implantable bone adjustment devices with a motorized drive mechanism, including a telescopic nail and a hermetically sealed electric geared motor, powered by internal batteries and energy harvesting, allowing wireless control and precise, continuous or semi-continuous actuation for bone lengthening and compression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional percutaneous fixation devices are used for bone adjustment, then bone position can be adjusted, but infection rates increase and patient comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical percutaneous fixation system with an implantable motorized system. The motorized bone adjustment device is implanted internally and uses a motor to drive bone adjustment, eliminating the need for external percutaneous fixation components that cause infection and discomfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the problematic percutaneous fixation components from the system and replaces them with an implantable motorized mechanism. The motor, power source, and control electronics are all contained within the implanted device, removing external components that cause infection and patient discomfort.
2Reliability
If conventional internal fixators are used for bone lengthening, then bone segments can be moved, but the devices are cumbersome and have high failure rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (motor, power source, control electronics, and adjustment mechanism) into a single integrated implantable device. This consolidation reduces the number of separate parts that need to be assembled and maintained, thereby reducing complexity and potential failure points.
Solution Approach 2:
The implantable motorized device performs multiple functions: it provides bone adjustment, supports full weight bearing, and offers precise control mechanisms. This multi-functionality replaces several separate conventional devices with a single universal system, reducing overall complexity.
3Force
If conventional internal fixators are used for bone adjustment, then some bone movement is achieved, but full weight bearing support is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a motorized drive mechanism with rotational motion that converts to linear movement for bone adjustment. The motor provides continuous rotational force that can be precisely controlled to generate and maintain high axial forces for full weight bearing support during the distraction process.
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 devices provide precise, wireless-controlled bone lengthening and compression with reduced infection risk, full weight bearing capability, and extended lifespan without the need for invasive battery replacements.
Implementation Method 1
an electric motor hermetically sealed within an inner housing arranged within the outer housing
Implementation Method 2
the motor hermetically sealed within an inner housing arranged within the outer housing
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices for bone adjustment, such as limb lengthening, are disclosed. For example, in one embodiment, a bone adjustment device may include a proximal portion configured to attach to a first bone portion, a distal portion configured to attach to a second bone portion, a motorized drive assembly, a control circuitry operably coupled to the motorized drive assembly, the motorized drive assembly and the control circuitry being hermetically sealed within a motor compartment, a driving element having a first end operatively coupled to the motorized drive assembly and a second end operatively coupled to the distal portion, the control circuitry is operative to receive wireless control signals from an external computing device, the motorized drive assembly is configured to be actuated based on the control signals to force rotation of the driving element to cause movement of the distal portion away from the proximal portion. Other embodiments are described.