Removable Tibial Tray Spikes for Bone Deficit Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tibial prostheses face challenges in securely mounting to the tibia due to bone deficits, requiring deeper resection and additional augments, which complicates the use of spikes for fixation, leading to inefficient inventory management and suboptimal spike lengths.
Innovation Solution
A tibial tray and augment system with removably and interchangeably coupled spikes that can attach to either the tibial tray or augments, allowing for customizable spike placement and depth to address varying bone conditions, thereby optimizing the securement and stabilization of the tibial prosthesis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If integral spikes are used in the tibial tray, then the tibial prosthesis can be secured to the tibia, but the spikes effectively shorten the tibial penetrating depth when augments are used
Solution Approach 1:
The spike is divided into multiple segments: a first portion that secures the augment to the tibial tray, and a second portion that extends through the augment to engage the tibia. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function independently, resolving the contradiction between securing the prosthesis and maintaining adequate penetrating depth.
Solution Approach 2:
The augment acts as an intermediary component between the tibial tray and the tibia. The spike passes through this intermediary to reach the bone, allowing the augment to compensate for bone deficits while the spike maintains its full penetrating depth to securely engage the tibia.
2Length of stationary object
If long spikes are used to extend past augments into the tibia, then optimal penetration depth is achieved, but the spikes are much longer than necessary when no augments are used
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows dynamic configuration where spikes of appropriate length are selected based on whether augments are present. The modular design enables adjustment of spike length to match surgical needs, avoiding the need to maintain inventory of multiple fixed-length spike options.
Solution Approach 2:
The spike length parameter can be changed based on the presence or absence of augments. By offering spikes in different length configurations that can be interchanged, the system adapts to varying surgical requirements without requiring a complex inventory of all possible combinations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple tibial tray designs with integral spikes of various lengths are manufactured, then all bone conditions can be addressed, but inventory complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single tibial tray design with standardized spike receptacles can accommodate multiple spike lengths and configurations. This universal design allows the same tray to work with different spike options depending on the patient's bone condition, eliminating the need for multiple dedicated tray designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation of the tibial tray from the spike allows independent selection and combination of components. The tray provides a universal mounting platform while spikes can be selected based on specific surgical needs, reducing inventory complexity by allowing modular assembly rather than manufacturing multiple integrated designs.
4Area of stationary object
If deeper resection is performed to address bone deficits, then adequate mounting surface is achieved, but additional augments are required which complicates spike fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The augment serves as an intermediary layer that facilitates fixation in complex cases. The spike penetrates through this intermediary component to reach the bone, allowing the system to handle deeper resections and bone deficits without fundamentally changing the fixation mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation system is segmented into the tibial tray, the augment, and the spike, allowing each component to address specific aspects of the fixation challenge. This segmentation enables the system to accommodate complex scenarios with deeper resections while maintaining a relatively simple overall fixation approach.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one example, a tibial replacement assembly for a knee arthroplasty can be configured to couple to a resected proximal surface of a tibia of a human knee. The tibial replacement assembly can include a tibial tray and a first spike. The tibial tray can include a proximal surface and a distal surface opposing the proximal surface. The distal surface can be configured to be disposed on a resected proximal surface of a tibia. The first spike can be removably secured to the tibial tray and can extend generally distally away from the distal surface. The first spike can be configured to extend beneath the resected proximal surface of the tibia.