Adjustable Orthopedic Drill Guide for Bone Fragment Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing orthopedic staples and related instruments face challenges in efficiently compressing and maintaining bone fragments during surgical procedures, particularly when gaps exist between bone pieces, and there is a need for improved drill guides and staples that can provide temporary fixation and adjust to various staple sizes.
Innovation Solution
The development of an orthopedic drill guide assembly with adjustable guide holes and retractable arms, along with orthopedic staples featuring chamfered or offset bridges and shape memory materials, allows for precise predrilling and temporary compression of bone fragments, accommodating different staple sizes and ensuring stable fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed-spacing drill guide sleeves are used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate different staple sizes and gap distances
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide assembly incorporates retractable arms that can move between extended and retracted positions, allowing the spacing between drill guide sleeves to be adjusted dynamically. This dynamic structure enables the same device to accommodate different staple sizes and gap distances without requiring multiple fixed configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide assembly is divided into separate modular components including the outer housing, connecting piece, and retractable arms with drill guide sleeves. This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each component and facilitates versatility while maintaining manageable structural complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple fixed drill guides are provided for different staple sizes, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing multiple fixed drill guides as separate components, the invention uses a single drill guide assembly with retractable arms that can dynamically adjust their spacing. This reduces the quantity of components from multiple fixed guides to one adjustable assembly, while maintaining the ability to accommodate various gap distances.
3Reliability
If compression force is applied during drilling, then bone fragment stabilization is improved, but the risk of bone fragment displacement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drill guide assembly performs preliminary compression of bone fragments by retracting the arms, bringing the fragments into approximate alignment before drilling begins. This preliminary action stabilizes the fragments in a controlled manner, reducing the risk of displacement during subsequent drilling operations while maintaining reliable stabilization.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables effective temporary fixation and compression of bone fragments, allowing for precise staple placement and adjustment to various sizes, enhancing the stability and efficacy of surgical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
orthopedic staples featuring chamfered or offset bridges and shape memory materials
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A
Figure 2B~2C
AI summary
Novel orthopedic staples and related instruments are disclosed. An instrument is an orthopedic drill guide assembly that includes a first arm and a second arm that are retractably connected to the distal end of the instrument's outer housing, where the proximal ends of the arms are retractably connected to the distal end of the outer housing and configured to move in a retractable motion that changes the spacing between the first drill guide sleeve and the second drill guide sleeve, where the proximal end of the outer housing is configured for controlling the retractable motion of the first and second arms.