Lockable Intramedullary Nail Guide Wire Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medullary nails for long bone fractures lack effective mechanisms for precise alignment and secure fixation of locking devices, particularly in complex anatomical situations, leading to potential misalignment and instability during bone fracture stabilization.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a medullary nail with a shaft featuring a through-opening for a locking device and a receiving device that can be rotated or pivoted, equipped with a guide wire opening for precise placement, and a locking mechanism using a clamping screw or conical screw shank to ensure stable alignment and fixation, allowing for adjustable positioning of locking screws.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a receiving device is made movable or alignable to facilitate locking device insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving device is pre-configured with a guide wire opening that accepts a guide wire before the locking device is inserted. The guide wire is inserted first to establish the correct path and alignment, and then the locking device follows along the guide wire. This preliminary action of inserting the guide wire ensures that subsequent components are aligned correctly, resolving the contradiction by providing ease of operation through the guide wire while maintaining reliability through pre-established alignment.
2Manufacturing precision
If guide wire opening is provided for precise alignment, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wire opening in the receiving device serves multiple functions: it guides the guide wire during insertion, maintains alignment during the procedure, and can also accommodate the locking device itself. By making this single structural feature multi-functional, the design achieves improved alignment precision without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same opening structure serves multiple purposes in the overall fixation system.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an intramedullary nail (1) for introducing into a tubular bone, said nail comprising a shaft (5) with a longitudinal axis. The shaft has at least one through-opening (8) for introducing at least one locking device, in particular a locking screw (3) or a locking pin, into the interior of the intramedullary nail (1) and/or for penetrating the intramedullary nail (1). The intramedullary nail (1) has at least one receiving device (6) for receiving at least one section (3a) of the locking device. The at least one receiving device (6) is arranged inside the shaft or the through-opening (8) such that it can be moved or oriented, in particular rotated or pivoted, along at least one of its axes in relation to the longitudinal axis of the shaft (5). The intramedullary nail (1) has at least one device, in particular an arresting device (9) and/or an arrangement of a locking device and/or receiving device (6) for preventing the at least one receiving device (6) from being oriented in relation to the longitudinal axis and/or to a transversal axis running perpendicularly thereto. The at least one receiving device (6) has at least one guide wire opening (15) running through said device in order to receive a guide wire.