Modular Shoulder Model for Arthroscopy Training
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a shoulder model that allows surgeons to practice open and arthroscopic surgical procedures in a controlled environment, replicating human shoulder anatomy, and can be easily transported, assembled, and refurbished, as cadaver specimens may be unavailable or undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A shoulder model with a watertight design for both dry and wet arthroscopy, featuring realistic cannula placement, humerus rotation, and clavicle mobility, allowing for the simulation of surgical pathologies like rotator cuff tears and labral disruptions, and enabling the use of bioabsorbable and metal anchors for repairs, with a modular design that includes a scapula mount, joint capsule assembly, and musculature mimicking the human shoulder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cadaver specimens are used for surgical training, then realistic anatomical structures are provided, but availability is limited and biohazard concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a synthetic shoulder model that copies the essential anatomical structures of a human shoulder, including the humeral head, glenoid cavity, rotator cuff tendons, and joint capsule. This copy provides realistic anatomical features for surgical training without using actual cadaver tissue, thereby solving the availability and reusability problem while maintaining anatomical accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the shoulder model by making it adjustable and reconfigurable. The model can be assembled and disassembled, allowing repeated use and refurbishment. This parameter change from fixed cadaver specimens to flexible synthetic models resolves the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
2Manufacturing precision
If a shoulder model is designed with realistic anatomical features, then surgical training accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the shoulder model into separate modular components including the scapula, humerus, rotator cuff tendons, and joint capsule. Each component can be independently manufactured and assembled, which reduces the complexity of manufacturing each individual part while achieving high overall anatomical accuracy through precise assembly of segmented elements.
3Reliability
If a shoulder model allows realistic surgical practice, then surgical skill development improves, but ease of operation and portability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the shoulder model with dynamic characteristics that allow it to be easily assembled and disassembled. The modular components can be quickly put together and taken apart, making the model portable and easy to operate. This dynamic design enables the model to be transported to different locations and set up quickly, maintaining training effectiveness while improving ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A shoulder model and methods of shoulder arthroscopy using the shoulder model. The shoulder model includes an acromioclavicular (AC) joint assembly, a joint capsule assembly, a scapula mount, a shoulder musculature, a skin, and a base. The AC joint assembly is mounted on the scapula mount and the joint assembly is attached to the AC joint assembly and fastened using a screw/nut to form the shoulder assembly. The shoulder assembly is placed in the shoulder musculature and the skin is rolled over the shoulder musculature and zipped in place. The bones of the shoulder assembly are made of foam-cortical shell, the shoulder musculature is made of foam, the soft tissue components are made of thermoplastic elastomers, and the skin is made of vinyl. A method of practicing shoulder arthroscopy using the shoulder model includes mounting the shoulder model in a beach chair position, making anatomical references, establishing a posterior viewing portal, inserting cannulas into the glenohumeral joint or the subacromial space, creating a labral disruption or a rotator cuff tear, and repairing the rotator cuff tear or labral disruption.