Modular Variable Angle Blade Augment for Acetabular Shell Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopedic medical devices for revision acetabular surgeries lack modularity and flexibility in aligning with patient anatomy, leading to suboptimal fixation and increased surgical complexity and costs due to fixed angles and limited adjustability.
Innovation Solution
A modular variable blade augment system comprising a blade component with a buttress and neck portion, and an augment component with a first opening for selective adjustment of linear and angular orientations, allowing direct contact with the acetabular shell and accommodating various anatomical variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed angle buttress augment designs are used, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but adaptability to various patient anatomies is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The blade augment incorporates a variable angle design where the buttress surface can be positioned at multiple different angles relative to the blade body (e.g., 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°). This dynamic adjustability allows the device to adapt to various patient anatomies and defect locations while maintaining a unified device structure, thereby improving adaptability without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The blade augment is divided into separable components including the blade body, buttress surface, and fixation elements. This segmentation allows the buttress surface to be independently positioned and angled relative to the blade body, enabling customization for different anatomical variations while keeping the overall device design manageable through modular assembly
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple hand configurations are provided, then adaptability to different surgical sides is improved, but device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade augment is designed as a universal device that can be used on both left and right sides of the pelvis through symmetric or near-symmetric design features. The variable angle buttress and adjustable positioning capabilities allow a single device type to serve multiple surgical scenarios, eliminating the need for separate left-sided and right-sided configurations while maintaining full adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of creating different device variants for different hands, the invention allows adjustment of key parameters such as buttress angle, position, and orientation during implantation. This parameter variability enables a single device design to accommodate all hand configurations and anatomical variations, significantly reducing inventory complexity while maintaining universal applicability
3Productivity
If fixed angle designs are used, then device manufacturing is simplified, but surgical time for alignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The variable angle buttress design incorporates mechanical features such as rotatable joints, adjustable connectors, or modular components that allow intraoperative adjustment of the buttress angle. While manufacturing is slightly more complex than fixed-angle designs, the ability to achieve optimal alignment without extensive surgical modification time results in net productivity improvement
Solution Approach 2:
The device is pre-configured with multiple predetermined angle options and adjustment mechanisms prepared in advance. Surgeons can select and adjust the appropriate angle during surgery without requiring complex intraoperative fabrication or modification, thereby maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling rapid alignment to match patient anatomy
4Manufacturing precision
If discrete positioning options are provided, then device modularity is improved, but alignment precision with patient anatomy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The blade augment incorporates continuous or near-continuous adjustment capabilities for the buttress surface angle and position, moving beyond discrete fixed options. This dynamic adjustability allows precise matching to patient-specific anatomy by fine-tuning the configuration, thereby achieving high alignment precision without requiring an excessive number of discrete device variants
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows modification of critical geometric parameters such as buttress angle, length, and position during implantation. This parameter variability enables precise customization to match patient anatomy while maintaining a relatively simple base device structure, achieving high manufacturing precision without proportionally increasing device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A modular variable blade augment including an augment component and a blade component. The blade component includes a buttress portion and a neck portion, with the neck portion having a body segment and a face segment that is contoured for mating engagement with an outer surface of the acetabular shell. The augment component has a first opening sized and shaped to receive insertion of the body segment, and which is also sized to accommodate selective adjustment of linear and angular orientations of the blade component relative to the augment component when the body segment is positioned in the first opening. Additionally, the body segment has a length that is sized to facilitate direct contact of the face segment with the acetabular shell when the modular variable blade augment is in an assembled configuration. Further, cement can be injected into the internal cavity to unitize the connection between the acetabular shell and the blade component.