Orthopedic Reamer with Depth Stop for Controlled Bone Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional reamers used in orthopedic procedures often cause excessive bone heating and imprecise bone removal due to high rotation rates, leading to potential implant failure and necrosis, as well as non-uniform bone removal.
Innovation Solution
Designing reamers that operate at a lower rotation rate, allowing for single or partial rotation during bone cutting, which reduces heat generation and facilitates more precise and uniform bone removal by incorporating a stop mechanism to control cutting depth and a cannulated shaft for precise manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional reamers operate at high rotation rates to efficiently cut bone, then productivity is improved, but bone temperature increases excessively causing necrosis and implant failure
Solution Approach 1:
The reamer performs intermittent cutting strokes with periods of non-cutting motion, allowing heat dissipation between cutting cycles. This periodic action reduces cumulative heat buildup in the bone while maintaining adequate cutting productivity through repeated cutting strokes.
Solution Approach 2:
The reamer rapidly advances through the bone in single or partial rotation strokes, minimizing the total time of cutting contact and thereby reducing the opportunity for heat generation and accumulation in the bone tissue.
2Productivity
If traditional reamers rotate at high RPM to remove bone quickly, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to off-axis cutting and non-uniform bone removal
Solution Approach 1:
The reamer performs partial rotations rather than full continuous rotations, allowing the surgeon to precisely control the extent of bone removal in each stroke. This partial action enables better control over the uniformity of bone removal while maintaining efficient productivity through multiple controlled passes.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgeon can observe the cutting process and bone removal uniformity in real-time, then adjust the reaming parameters including rotation depth, stroke length, and feeding rate to achieve the desired precision while maintaining productivity.
3Productivity
If traditional reamers operate at high rotation rates, then productivity is improved, but ease of operation worsens due to difficulty in precise manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The intermittent cutting strokes provide natural pauses between cutting cycles, allowing the surgeon to reposition and precisely manipulate the reamer between strokes. This periodic action improves ease of operation by reducing the rotational inertia and making the tool more controllable while maintaining productivity through repeated cutting passes.
Data Source
AI summary
A bone cutting instrument for removing a bone during an orthopedic procedure. The instrument optionally including a shaft having a centerline axis and at least partially cannulated at a distal end portion, a stop coupled to the shaft at or adjacent the distal end portion, wherein the stop is configured to contact a surface of the bone and one or more cutting features coupled to the distal end portion and coupled to the stop. The one or more cutting features can be configured to cut the bone with rotation of the one or more cutting features about the centerline axis of the shaft. The stop can set a desired depth for the one or more cutting features to remove the bone.