Joint Spacer Alignment Guide for Precise Bone Realignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical methods lack effective tools for accurately realigning anatomically misaligned bones, particularly in procedures like bunion correction, where precise cutting and alignment of metatarsals and cuneiforms are required to improve patient comfort and quality of life.
Innovation Solution
A bone preparation guide and spacer system that includes a bone preparing guide with guide surfaces and slots, and a spacer that serves as a reference tool for aligning and cutting bones, allowing for precise realignment of bones by guiding tissue-removing instruments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional bone grafting methods are used, then bone defect repair is achieved, but the procedure is time-consuming and requires multiple surgical interventions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple surgical steps into a single procedure by integrating the spacer implantation with bone defect repair in one surgical intervention, eliminating the need for separate bone grafting surgeries and reducing overall treatment time
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer is pre-loaded with bone graft material and antibiotics before surgery, allowing immediate therapeutic action upon implantation without requiring separate preparation steps during the surgical procedure
2Reliability
If multiple surgical interventions are performed, then bone defect repair is achieved, but the number of patient procedures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges spacer implantation and bone defect repair into a single surgical procedure, reducing the number of patient interventions from multiple surgeries to one while maintaining comprehensive treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural implant to maintain space, delivers bone graft material for defect repair, and provides antibiotic therapy for infection prevention, eliminating the need for separate procedures for each function
3Reliability
If spacers are not pre-loaded with antibiotics, then manufacturing is simpler, but post-surgical infection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is pre-loaded with antibiotics during manufacturing before sterilization, ensuring immediate therapeutic action upon implantation without requiring separate antibiotic administration steps during or after surgery
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process incorporates antibiotic loading as an integrated step with controlled parameters for drug concentration and distribution, transforming a complex multi-step process into a standardized procedure that ensures consistent therapeutic dosing
4Reliability
If spacers are pre-loaded with bone graft material, then bone defect repair is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Bone graft material is pre-loaded into the spacer during manufacturing, allowing immediate therapeutic action upon implantation without requiring separate bone grafting procedures and ensuring consistent material distribution
Solution Approach 2:
The bone graft material is nested within the spacer structure, with the graft material contained inside the spacer's internal cavity or channels, creating a hierarchical structure that combines two therapeutic agents in one implant
Data Source
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AI summary
In some examples, a method for preparing one or more bones involves inserting a spacer into a space defined between a first bone and a second bone, such as a joint space between a first metatarsal and medial cuneiform. A bone preparation guide can be aligned with opposed ends of the first bone and the second bone using the spacer as an alignment reference. For example, the bone preparation guide may include an opening such that the guide can be installed across the joint space with the spacer received in the opening. A clinician may use the bone preparation guide to guide a tissue removing instrument to cut or otherwise prepare the ends of the first bone portion and second bone portion.