Locking Attachment Washer for IM Nail and Bone Plate Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone fixation systems face challenges in aligning and securing long bone plates to intramedullary nails due to nail deflection and deformation, particularly with increased nail length, making it difficult to target locking screws accurately.
Innovation Solution
A bone plate with variable thickness and width regions, including a mid-shaft region and a proximal shaft region with differing dimensions, and protruding tabs, allowing for increased flexibility and customization, along with plate holes for fixation members to secure to the IM nail and bone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the length of the IM nail is increased to treat distal femur fractures, then the fixation coverage is improved, but nail deflection and deformation increase making locking screw targeting difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a locking attachment washer as an intermediary device between the IM nail and the locking screw. The washer is positioned at the trailing end of the nail and provides a stable platform for screw insertion, eliminating the need to directly target the locking hole in the deflected nail. This mediator absorbs the alignment error caused by nail deflection while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is segmented into multiple components: the IM nail, the locking attachment washer, and the locking screw. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - the nail provides internal fixation, the washer provides a stable targeting surface, and the screw provides external locking - thereby resolving the targeting difficulty caused by nail deflection.
2Length of moving object
If the length of the bone plate is increased to extend from the condylar portion to the shaft region, then the fixation span is improved, but alignment with the IM nail becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The locking attachment washer serves as a mediator between the bone plate and the IM nail, facilitating alignment. The washer is positioned at the interface between the plate and nail, providing a stable reference point that simplifies the alignment process for longer plates that span greater distances along the femur.
3Strength
If supplemental bone fixation is added for poor bone quality, then the fixation strength is improved, but the complexity of the fixation system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple fixation functions into a single integrated system. The locking attachment washer combines the functions of nail locking and plate attachment, while supplemental bone screws provide additional fixation when needed. This unified approach provides enhanced strength for poor bone quality without proportionally increasing system complexity, as all components work together as a coordinated assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a bone fixation system includes an intramedullary nail and a bone plate. The plate body can be subdivided into different regions, including but not limited to a mid-shaft region and a proximal shaft region. The mid-shaft region and the proximal shaft region optionally have different widths and/or thicknesses in order to increase flexibility of the bone plate. The bone plate defines one or more plate fixation holes, which may be bone fixation holes. The plate fixation holes extend from the outer surface to the bone-facing surface, and are configured to receive various fixation members for affixing the bone plate to the IM nail and/or to the bone. One or more of the plate fixation holes are connected to the bone plate via protruding tabs, such that the plate fixation holes are separate from, yet connected to, the bone plate.