Modular Surgical Drill Guide with Quick Disconnect Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical drill guides are limited in their ability to accommodate a wide range of anatomical sizes, particularly failing to effectively drill through smaller bones like the fibula or tibia due to their fixed radial distance and circular geometry, which restricts their usability.
Innovation Solution
A modular, contoured surgical drill guide system with interchangeable guide arms and a quick disconnect mechanism, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly, and a single-piece handle design that accommodates various bone sizes, including small fibulas and large femurs, with a safety stop to prevent guide wire over-penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed radial distance from handle to template is used, then the drill guide can be manufactured with simple geometry, but it cannot accommodate a wide range of anatomical sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide is divided into separate modular components: a handle and interchangeable guide arms. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables reconfiguration to accommodate different anatomical sizes without redesigning the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is designed as a universal base that can accept multiple different guide arms through a standardized interface. This multi-functionality allows a single handle to serve various drilling configurations for different bone sizes, from small fibulas to large femurs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If interchangeable guide arms with different sized templates are used, then various bone sizes can be accommodated, but the device requires assembly and disassembly operations
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the handle and guide arms employs a dynamic quick-disconnect mechanism rather than permanent fixation. This allows the guide arms to be rapidly attached and detached without complex assembly procedures, maintaining ease of operation while enabling versatility.
3Ease of operation
If a modular design with quick disconnect mechanism is used, then easy assembly and disassembly is achieved, but the connection interface becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The complex connection interface is extracted and standardized into a separate quick-disconnect mechanism that is independent of the guide arm templates. This separation allows the template geometry to remain simple while the connection complexity is isolated to a reusable interface component.
4Ease of operation
If the guide arm is integrated into the handle as a single-piece design, then assembly is eliminated, but the adaptability to different bone sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide is divided into separate modular components: a handle and interchangeable guide arms. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables reconfiguration to accommodate different anatomical sizes without redesigning the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is designed as a universal base that can accept multiple different guide arms through a standardized interface. This multi-functionality allows a single handle to serve various drilling configurations for different bone sizes, from small fibulas to large femurs.
Data Source
AI summary
Surgical drill guides have modular configurations and are adapted to accommodate a wide range of anatomy. The surgical drill guides are adapted to be removed while leaving a guide wire in its intended location in human bone. The distal end of the drill guide acts as a safety stop for the guide wire by preventing the guide wire from penetrating too far past the far side of the bone.