Anterior-Posterior Cutting Guide for Knee Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art knee balancing devices for total knee replacement surgeries are cumbersome, require precise pin placement, and often lead to mal-alignment and over-resection of bones, increasing surgery time and difficulty, with no mechanism for easy rotational adjustment of the anterior-posterior cutting guide.
Innovation Solution
A unique anterior-posterior cutting guide device that can be adjusted translationally and rotationally relative to a pin placed in the distal femur, allowing for precise alignment and balancing of flexion and extension gaps without the need for re-pinning, featuring a cut guide member, support member, and positioning member for secure attachment and adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If classic technique knee surgery devices are used, then the surgery can be performed with standard equipment, but the surgery time increases and the complexity of the procedure increases due to multiple individual steps required for pin placement and guide attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the pin placement function and the cutting guide attachment into a single integrated device. The cutting guide is directly attached to the pin, eliminating the need for separate pin placement and guide attachment steps, thereby reducing surgery time and procedural complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If precise pin placement is required for accurate guide positioning, then the alignment precision can be improved, but the difficulty of the surgery increases and the risk of mal-alignment increases due to the precision required
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables self-alignment through its design where the cutting guide automatically positions itself relative to the pin. The guide has features that engage with the pin to ensure proper orientation, reducing the skill level required for precise placement and minimizing the risk of mal-alignment while maintaining high positioning accuracy.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the cutting guide is fixed relative to the pin, then the attachment stability is improved, but the adaptability decreases as rotational adjustment is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a rotational adjustment mechanism that allows the cutting guide to be rotated relative to the pin while maintaining stable attachment. This dynamic feature enables the surgeon to adjust the guide's orientation to match the patient's specific anatomy while the attachment remains firmly secured, combining stability with adaptability.
4Manufacturing precision
If multiple individual steps are taken for distal cut, proximal cut, and gap balancing, then each cut can be made with precision, but the surgery time increases and the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The device allows preliminary positioning and verification of the cutting guide before making the actual cuts. The guide can be attached to the pin, positioned, and verified for correct alignment before the cutting procedure begins, ensuring precision while streamlining the overall process by eliminating the need for repeated positioning adjustments during surgery.
Data Source
AI summary
An orthopedic A/P cutting guide device, including a cut guide member, a support member and a positioning member for permitting both (i) rotational, and (ii) translational movement after the A/P cutting guide device has been attached to the distal femur by quick pins or other securing devices, is disclosed. Rotational movement may occur by loosening a knob thereby releasing the positioning member and the cut guide member from the support member, which may be fixed in position by the quick pins, and rotating the positioning member and the cut guide member together. Translational movement may occur by loosening a plurality of knobs thereby releasing the cut guide member from the support member and the positioning member, and moving the cut guide member anteriorly or posteriorly. After the device has been rotated and translated, the knobs may be tightened, thus securing the device from further movement.