Intramedullary Bone Fixation Implant for Low Soft Tissue Irritation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bone plates used in bunion surgery can irritate soft tissue and cause additional pain due to their design, necessitating a need for a bone fixation device that minimizes soft tissue irritation and enhances stability.
Innovation Solution
A bone fixation implant with a plate portion and a stem portion, featuring a porous region for osteosynthesis, angled screw holes for variable angulation, and barbs for secure insertion, along with bone fasteners to stabilize bone segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bone plate is used to fixate bone segments, then bone fixation is achieved, but soft tissue irritation and post-surgical pain increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the irritating plate component from the fixation system and replaces it with an intramedullary stem that fits inside the bone canal. The plate is completely removed and its fixation function is transferred to the stem and screws alone, eliminating soft tissue irritation while maintaining bone segment stabilization
Solution Approach 2:
The implant utilizes the intramedullary canal of the bone as a natural cavity to house the stem portion. The stem is nested within the bone's internal canal space, and the plate portion is nested against the bone surface, creating a compact structure that eliminates the need for external plate fixation and reduces soft tissue disruption
2Stability of the object's composition
If standard bone plates are used for fixation, then bone segments are stabilized, but the design causes additional pain due to soft tissue contact
Solution Approach 1:
The irritating plate component is extracted from the system and replaced with an intramedullary stem. The stem provides internal support within the bone canal, eliminating the need for external plate contact with soft tissues, thereby reducing post-surgical pain while maintaining alignment stability
Solution Approach 2:
The stem portion incorporates a porous structure that allows bone ingrowth and integration. This porous design provides mechanical interlocking between the implant and bone tissue, enhancing stability and promoting biological fixation without requiring external plate support that would irritate soft tissues
3Ease of operation
If an implant with fixed screw hole configuration is used, then insertion is simplified, but adaptability to variable bone geometries is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The implant incorporates adjustable screw holes that can be repositioned along the stem or plate portions. This dynamic configuration allows the surgeon to adjust the position, angle, and orientation of screw holes to match the specific geometry of the patient's bone, enhancing adaptability while maintaining ease of insertion through a modular design
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 implant reduces soft tissue irritation and enhances bone fixation by promoting osteosynthesis and providing stable, adjustable fixation, thereby minimizing post-surgical pain and improving surgical outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
featuring a porous region for osteosynthesis
Implementation Method 2
barbs for secure insertion
Data Source
AI summary
There is an implant, comprising a plate portion at a first end, and a stem portion at a second end extending away from an end of the plate portion. In one embodiment, the plate portion comprises a first lobe with a first screw hole; and a second lobe with a second screw hole, wherein the first lobe is adjacent to the second lobe. There is also method of inserting an implant, comprising preparing a patient's bones, performing an osteotomy on the patient's bones to form a first bone segment and a second bone segment, aligning the first bone segment and the second bone segment and inserting an implant into an intramedullary canal in the second bone segment.