Multi-Position Limb Holder with Telescopic Boom
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing limb holders for medical or surgical procedures lack the ability to make precise adjustments and often disrupt the sterile barrier, requiring complex repositioning and limited flexibility, especially during procedures like orthopedic surgeries where precise limb positioning is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A limb positioning device with a frame that can be adjusted in multiple degrees of freedom, allowing linear, rotational, and infinitesimally small adjustments while remaining attached, and can be mounted over a surgical drape to maintain sterility, featuring a clamp, support post, and elongate bar with locking mechanisms for secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the limb holder uses a fixed position design, then the device structure is simple, but the positioning flexibility and adaptability are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The limb holder employs multiple adjustable components including a boom arm with telescopic sections, a support leg with height adjustment, and a limb support with rotational and angular adjustability. These dynamic elements allow the device to adapt to various positioning requirements while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into independent adjustable segments: the boom arm consists of telescopic sections that can extend independently, the support leg has adjustable height sections, and the limb support is separable from the boom arm. This segmentation allows each component to be adjusted independently, providing flexibility without requiring complex integrated mechanisms.
2Measurement precision
If the limb holder allows continuous adjustment, then the positioning precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The boom arm features telescopic sections that can be extended to any length within their range, and the limb support can be rotated to any angle, providing continuous adjustment capability. This allows precise positioning without requiring complex incremental adjustment mechanisms, as the continuous motion provides infinite resolution.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows continuous change of geometric parameters including the boom arm length, support leg height, and limb support orientation angles. By enabling continuous parameter adjustment rather than discrete steps, the system achieves high positioning precision through simple mechanical means.
3Productivity
If the limb holder requires disconnection for repositioning, then the structural stability is maintained, but the operational efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The limb support is designed to rotate freely on the boom arm without requiring disconnection, and the boom arm itself can be repositioned along the support leg while remaining connected. This dynamic connectivity allows the practitioner to reposition the limb holder continuously during the procedure, dramatically improving operational efficiency.
4Reliability
If the limb holder is attached directly to the table, then the structural stability is improved, but the sterile barrier integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The support leg acts as an intermediary between the table and the boom arm, allowing the device to be attached to the table while maintaining the sterile barrier. The support leg can be positioned to engage with the table structure, providing stable support without requiring direct attachment of the sterile portion to the non-sterile table surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A limb holder generally includes a limb holder assembly, a sled or yoke assembly, a pylon and support bar assembly, a clamp assembly, and a retractor assembly. A limb, such as a leg, is supported by the limb holder. The limb holder is supported by a sled which can move along a support bar that is supported by virtue of a mounting pylon. The mounting pylon is fixed in place by a clamp assembly, the clamp assembly being attached directly to a bed, table, or other patient support. The limb holder can also receive one or more retractor assemblies capable of retracting an incision, such that a user may manipulate a patient's limb during a procedure in which the use of retractors is desired.