PCL Drill Guide Arm With Shielded Tip for Secure Bone Seating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drill guide assemblies face challenges in securely seating against varying bone contours, particularly during femoral bone tunnel drilling in PCL reconstruction, often requiring multiple instruments that increase the risk of damage to surrounding structures.
Innovation Solution
A multifunctional drill guide arm with an L-shaped design, featuring a distal tip with an indicator and shield, which includes a shield feature and an aperture for a guide pin, providing secure alignment and protection against tissue damage while reducing the number of surgical instruments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional drill guide assemblies are used with multiple instruments, then the drilling guidance function is achieved, but the risk of damage to surrounding structures increases due to multiple insertions and removals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple drill guide components (guide body, guide arm, drill guide sleeve, and threaded mechanism) into a single integrated assembly that remains at the surgical site throughout the procedure. This eliminates the need for multiple separate instruments to be inserted and removed, thereby maintaining drilling guidance accuracy while reducing the risk of damage to surrounding structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The drill guide assembly is designed as a multi-functional device that performs multiple functions: providing drilling guidance, securing itself to the bone surface, and protecting surrounding structures. The guide arm with its angled configuration and the threaded mechanism work together to create a universal device that addresses multiple requirements in a single instrument system.
2Reliability
If conventional drill guide assemblies are used, then drilling guidance is provided, but the number of instruments and parts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guide body, guide arm, drill guide sleeve, and threaded mechanism into a single integrated assembly. This consolidation reduces the number of separate instruments and parts that need to be managed during surgery, while maintaining all necessary drilling guidance functions through the coordinated design of the integrated components.
3Reliability
If drill guide is used on bones with severe contours, then drilling guidance is attempted, but proper seating of the drill guide becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide arm is designed with an angled connection (first angle within 80°-110° range) to the guide body, allowing it to adapt to varying bone contours. This dynamic angular configuration enables the drill guide assembly to achieve proper seating on bones with severe contours while maintaining drilling guidance capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A drill guide arm for providing guidance for placement of a bone tunnel, while protecting against trauma. The guide arm includes a first arm at a proximal end connected at an angle to a second arm, the second arm extending to a distal end. The angle can be within the range of 80°-110°. The second arm extends along a first axis. The guide arm also includes a distal tip extending at a second angle from the second arm at the distal end, and an indicator feature extending from the distal tip toward the first arm. The indicator feature extends along a second axis, the second axis being substantially parallel to the first axis. The guide arm can also include a shield feature of the distal tip. The shield feature has a width wider than the remainder of the distal tip.