Modular Orthopedic Plate Assembly for Complex Fracture Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthopedic plates often fail to align well with certain fracture types, such as comminuted fractures, leading to improper anchoring that can widen the fracture and delay healing, and require multiple plates, reducing structural integrity and extending healing time.
Innovation Solution
An orthopedic plate system comprising interconnectable plates with clamps, body portions, and locking features, allowing for customizable assembly and orientation to fit specific bone shapes and fracture locations, using screws for fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional orthopedic plates are used with fixed shapes and hole locations, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but the plates cannot align well with certain fracture types such as comminuted fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The orthopedic plate is divided into multiple modular segments that can be selectively assembled. Each segment contains specific features such as clamps, body portions, locking holes, and raised features. This segmentation allows surgeons to assemble plates with customized configurations that align with specific fracture types, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and complexity by providing modularity rather than fixed variety.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate assembly employs a nested structure where clamps connect to body portions, and multiple plates can be coupled together through aligned holes. The modular components nest together in a hierarchical manner, allowing for customizable assembly while maintaining a organized system that doesn't excessively increase complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple conventional plates are used to treat complex fractures, then coverage of fracture locations is improved, but structural integrity is reduced and healing time is extended
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple plate segments are merged into a single integrated assembly through clamps and locking mechanisms. The aligned holes allow screws to pass through multiple components simultaneously, creating a unified structural unit that maintains high structural integrity while providing extensive coverage of complex fracture locations. This merging eliminates the weakness of multiple separate plates while preserving the adaptability to cover various fracture sites.
3Shape
If conventional plates require manual bending to match bone shapes, then customization to bone geometry is achieved, but surgical time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plate segments are pre-configured with specific shapes, clamp positions, and hole locations during manufacturing. Surgeons select and assemble pre-formed segments rather than bending plates intraoperatively. This preliminary preparation of multiple discrete shapes eliminates time-consuming manual bending while maintaining the ability to achieve precise bone conformity through selective assembly.
4Ease of manufacture
If plates with fixed anchoring hole locations are used, then manufacturing precision is simplified, but proper anchoring for various fracture types cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
Different plate segments contain anchoring holes at different locations and orientations, each optimized for specific anchoring requirements. When assembling the final plate configuration, surgeons select segments whose hole locations precisely match the fracture anatomy. This local customization through segmentation achieves high anchoring precision while keeping individual segment manufacturing relatively simple and standardized.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are directed to an orthopedic fixation system that includes first and second plates each defining a clamp positioned at an end of the plate and comprising a first hole, a body portion extending from the clamp and comprising one or more holes, and one or more raised features positioned along the body portion. The clamp of the first plate is configured to couple with the body portion of the second plate. The first hole is configured to align with a second hole of the one or more holes. The first and second plates are rigidly coupled when an orthopedic screw engages with the first hole and the second hole and are coupled to a user.