Multi-Barrel Drill Guide for Aligned Anchor Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional single barrel drill guides require tool exchange during pilot hole drilling and suture anchor insertion, leading to misalignment risks, increased surgical time, and potential tissue trauma.
Innovation Solution
A multi-barrel drill guide design with separate channels for a drill bit and suture anchor, allowing simultaneous accommodation and alignment maintenance, reducing the need for tool exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a standard single barrel drill guide is used, then the device structure is simple, but tool exchange is required which increases misalignment risk and surgical time
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide is divided into multiple barrels (first barrel and second barrel) that are concentrically arranged. The first barrel accommodates the drill bit while the second barrel accommodates the driver tool. This segmentation allows both tools to be simultaneously positioned within the guide, eliminating the need for tool exchange and maintaining alignment throughout the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The second barrel is nested within or concentrically arranged around the first barrel, creating a nested structure. This allows the driver tool in the second barrel to be positioned coaxially with the pilot hole created by the drill bit in the first barrel, ensuring continuous alignment without removing the drill guide or exchanging tools.
2Device complexity
If tool exchange is performed in a single barrel drill guide, then the device structure remains simple, but surgical time increases due to realignment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the drill guide into multiple concentric barrels, each tool can be loaded into its designated barrel simultaneously. This eliminates the time-consuming tool exchange process and realignment steps, significantly reducing surgical time while adding only moderate structural complexity through the multi-barrel design.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single barrel drill guide is used, then the device is easy to manufacture, but tissue trauma risk increases due to potential misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-barrel structure is designed to be manufacturable using conventional techniques, with each barrel being a separate component that can be assembled. The segmentation into concentric barrels provides inherent alignment features that prevent misalignment-related tissue trauma, while the manufacturing process remains relatively simple and cost-effective.
4Measurement precision
If an additional assistant is used to maintain alignment, then alignment accuracy is improved, but device complexity and surgical cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nested barrel structure provides built-in alignment guidance through concentric geometry. The second barrel is positioned within the first barrel such that the driver tool automatically follows the same axis as the pilot hole, eliminating the need for additional assistants to maintain alignment. This reduces surgical procedure complexity while maintaining high alignment precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-barrel drill guide with an elongated body extending along a longitudinal axis having a proximal end and a distal end, an elongated distal guide tube attached to and extending from the distal end of the elongated body, and a handle extending from the elongated body between the proximal end and the distal end. The elongated body has a first channel extending from the proximal end to the distal end and a second channel extending from the proximal end to the distal end at an angle relative to the first channel. The first channel and the second channel intersect at a convergence area at the distal end. A drill bit is movable in a slidable manner within the second channel, and a driver loaded with a suture anchor is movable in a slidable manner within the first channel.