Plate Benders for Bone Plate Bending
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current plating systems for fusing metatarsal joints lack sufficient torsional rigidity and adaptability to accommodate varying bone sizes and angles, limiting their effectiveness in stabilizing and reshaping foot bones during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
The development of fusion plates with double bridge configurations and adjustable tubular guides, along with plate benders that allow for precise bending in dorsiflexion, providing high torsional rigidity and accommodating different bone angles and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional single-bridge plate configurations are used, then the device complexity is low, but the torsional rigidity and stability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into multiple bridge segments (first bridge, second bridge, third bridge) connected by nodes, creating a double-bridge configuration that provides enhanced torsional rigidity and stability while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The plate utilizes a composite structure combining multiple bridge elements and nodes made from biocompatible materials with appropriate mechanical properties, achieving high torsional rigidity through the composite arrangement of structural components
2Adaptability or versatility
If fixed-angle plates are used, then the manufacturing precision is high, but the adaptability to varying bone angles and sizes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The plate incorporates bendable sections that allow the plate to be dynamically adjusted to match the specific angle requirements of each patient's anatomy, transforming a static fixed-angle design into a dynamically adaptable structure while maintaining precise angular control
Solution Approach 2:
The plate design allows for parameter changes in the bending angle through controlled deformation of the plate material, enabling adaptation to varying bone angles while maintaining manufacturing precision through standardized bending protocols and material properties
3Stability of the object's composition
If plates without compression capability are used, then the device complexity is low, but the stability of joint fusion is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The compression screw mechanism is integrated directly into the plate structure, merging the compression function with the fixation plate to provide joint compression and stabilization without adding separate complex compression devices, thereby achieving enhanced stability with controlled complexity
4Adaptability or versatility
If plates are provided in multiple sizes, then the adaptability to different bone sizes is improved, but the device complexity and inventory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plate incorporates adjustable length features and bendable sections that allow a single plate design to be dynamically adapted to different bone sizes through controlled deformation and configuration, reducing the need for multiple fixed-size plate variants
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 enhances the stability and contourability of fusion plates, enabling secure fixation and adjustable angles to better match individual patient anatomy, thereby improving surgical outcomes in fusing metatarsal joints.
Implementation Method 1
The second fusion plate is bendable to allow the second plate to match the appropriate angle of fusion
Data Source
AI summary
A pair of plate benders is provided for bending a bone plate having a plurality of screw holes and a plurality of tubular drill guides removably preassembled into the screw holes. Each plate bender has a first end, a second end, and a handle extending between the first and second ends. The first end has a lower table on which the plate is received, an upper retaining structure which is adapted to engage the tubular drill guides, a recess defined between the lower table and upper retaining structure into which a portion of the plate is received such that the plate extends over a portion of the table and below a portion of the retaining structure. The retaining structure engages the periphery of the tubular drill guides to secure the plate relative to the bending tool.