Knee Prosthesis Component Matching via Universal Tibial Inserts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current knee prosthesis systems face challenges in accommodating the wide variability of patient anatomies, requiring a large inventory of components and complex surgical procedures due to mismatched femoral and tibial components, which can lead to suboptimal joint performance and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A knee prosthesis system with distinctly-sized femoral and tibial components that are proportionally matched to the patient's anatomy, allowing for interchangeable components and common platform profiles for mobile and fixed tibial components, reducing the need for multiple reaming instruments and inventory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large inventory of distinctly-sized femoral and tibial components is maintained to accommodate patient anatomy variability, then the ability to match components to patient anatomy is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tibial insert is designed with a universal interface that can accommodate multiple sizes of femoral components through proportional scaling. The insert maintains consistent geometric relationships and conformity ratios across different size configurations, allowing a single insert design to serve multiple sizing functions rather than requiring dedicated inserts for each femoral size
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes proportional scaling of insert dimensions based on the size of the femoral component. By changing the size parameter of the insert while maintaining geometric similarity and conformity ratios, the system can adapt to different patient anatomies without requiring fundamentally different insert designs for each size combination
2Reliability
If multiple sizes of inserts are provided for each size of tibial component to match different femoral components, then the conformity and joint performance are improved, but the quantity of components and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single tibial insert design serves multiple functions by accommodating different sizes of femoral components. The insert maintains appropriate conformity ratios and contact area characteristics across various femoral insert size combinations, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated insert sizes for each tibial component size
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functionality of multiple insert sizes into a single universal insert design. By combining the features and geometric relationships of what would traditionally require separate inserts into one design, the system reduces the total number of components while maintaining joint performance
3Strength
If very high conformity between femoral and insert surfaces is used, then contact stress is reduced and insert wear is decreased, but the constraint on femoral component motion increases which may inhibit joint performance
Solution Approach 1:
The insert surface is designed with locally optimized conformity characteristics that provide high contact area and reduced stress in critical load-bearing regions, while maintaining appropriate clearance and motion freedom in other areas. The conformity ratio is optimized locally rather than uniformly across the entire surface
Data Source
AI summary
A knee prosthesis system for total knee replacement procedures includes a plurality of distinctly-sized femoral components (20), a plurality of distinctly-sized fixed tibial components (70), a plurality of distinctly-sized mobile tibial components (80), a plurality of fixed inserts (50), and a plurality of mobile inserts (60). Each of the mobile inserts is sized and shaped such that each may be optimally matched to one of the femoral components and may be used with any one of the mobile tibial components. Each of the fixed inserts is sized and shaped such that each may be optimally matched to one of the femoral components and may be used with any one of the fixed tibial components.