Magnetic Core Bone Screw Enclosed Casing Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical procedures for implanting magnets in bones are invasive and prone to material rejection, often requiring additional apparatuses and multiple steps, which can be risky and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A bone screw design featuring a magnet enclosed within an exterior casing with threads, allowing for minimally invasive implantation without exposed magnets, reducing the risk of rejection and eliminating the need for additional apparatuses or steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If magnets are implanted in bones using traditional surgical procedures, then magnetic correction of bone problems can be achieved, but the procedures become invasive and require additional apparatuses such as brackets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the magnet and bone screw into a single integrated device. The magnet is positioned within the hollow interior of the bone screw, eliminating the need for separate bracket apparatuses and multiple implantation steps. This merging of functions directly reduces device complexity while maintaining magnetic correction effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone screw is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides mechanical fixation of the bone and simultaneously houses the magnet for magnetic correction. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional specialized apparatuses, reducing surgical complexity while achieving both mechanical and magnetic therapeutic goals.
2Reliability
If ferrous magnetic screws including strong neodymium magnetic screws are used for implantation, then magnetic correction capability is enhanced, but the risk of rejection by the body increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a biocompatible coating as an intermediary layer between the ferrous magnetic screw and the human body. This coating acts as a mediator that allows the strong magnetic field to pass through while preventing direct contact between the ferromagnetic material and body tissues, thereby reducing rejection risk while maintaining magnetic correction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone screw employs composite material construction with a ferrous magnetic core providing magnetic correction capability and an outer biocompatible coating providing biological compatibility. This composite structure combines the advantages of both materials, enabling strong magnetic effect while minimizing body rejection through the use of biocompatible outer materials.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If coatings are placed on magnets to prevent rejection, then body compatibility is improved, but the coatings may wear off over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a biocompatible coating formed as a thin film or shell on the surface of the magnetic screw. This coating provides continuous protection against body rejection while being integrated into the screw structure, reducing the likelihood of detachment compared to separate coating applications.
4Reliability
If brackets or additional apparatuses are used to hold magnets in place, then magnetic implantation is achieved, but the surgical procedure becomes more invasive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The magnet and bone screw are merged into a single pre-assembled unit, eliminating the need for separate bracket apparatuses and multiple implantation steps. The magnet is positioned within the hollow interior of the screw before implantation, allowing single-step insertion that reduces surgical time while ensuring secure magnet positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnet is pre-positioned within the bone screw interior before the implantation procedure. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex intraoperative positioning steps and additional apparatuses, reducing surgical time and complexity while ensuring accurate magnet placement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the use of magnetic core bone screws for aligning bones with reduced risk of rejection and fewer surgical steps, facilitating orthopedic movement and alignment with a minimally invasive technique.
Implementation Method 1
a magnet having a north pole and a south pole
Implementation Method 2
Ferrous magnetic screws including strong neodymium magnetic screws
Data Source
AI summary
A bone screw configured to be screwed into a bone having: an exterior casing; a head having a head interior surface; a tip configured to be driven into the bone; a shaft extending between the head and the tip, the shaft having exterior threads; a magnet; an interior cavity within the bone screw configured to house the magnet; a cap having: a top end having a recess configured to receive a means for driving the bone screw into the bone; and a bottom end having cap threads; the head being configured to receive the cap by having interior threads on the head interior surface; wherein an association of the cap threads with the interior threads causes the cap to be sealed to the head, and thus causes the magnet to be encased within the bone screw with no portion of the magnet exposed outside of the exterior casing.