Resilient-Strip Instrument for Transverse Displacement in Osteoporotic Bone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical instruments for transversely displacing structures, such as those used in kyphoplasty procedures, face issues with jamming, excessive force requirements, and material breakage due to high stress, especially when dealing with osteoporotic bone, and lack the ability to easily reset or replace components.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument featuring an inner body with a movable outer sleeve, resilient strips that disengage and reengage automatically, and a trigger mechanism for low-friction expansion, allowing for manual activation with tactile feedback, and including braces for stress relief, enabling safe, bi-pedicular use without component breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing surgical instruments are used to displace structures in osteoporotic bone, then the procedure can be performed, but the instruments are prone to jamming, excessive force requirements, and material breakage due to high stress
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient strip is divided into multiple segments or lobes that can independently expand and engage with the bone structure. This segmentation allows the force to be distributed across multiple contact points, reducing stress concentration and the risk of material breakage while maintaining reliable engagement with the osteoporotic bone.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument employs a resilient strip made of elastomeric material that can change its physical parameters (shape, volume, stiffness) in response to applied force. The strip transitions from a compressed low-profile state during insertion to an expanded high-profile state during engagement, allowing it to adapt to varying bone densities and reduce the risk of breakage under high stress conditions.
2Ease of operation
If existing surgical instruments are used, then the procedure can be performed, but the instruments require excessive force to operate and lack tactile feedback for surgeon control
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument replaces complex mechanical transmission systems with a direct elastomeric deformation mechanism. The resilient strip's inherent elasticity provides a mechanical advantage, converting small forces applied by the surgeon into large expansion forces against the bone, thereby reducing the excessive force requirements while maintaining tactile feedback through the flexible material.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient strip functions as a flexible elastomeric element that can be compressed and expanded. This flexible structure allows the surgeon to apply force through a trigger mechanism that compresses the strip, and the strip's elastic recovery provides both the expansion force needed for bone engagement and tactile feedback to the surgeon, eliminating the need for excessive force while improving ease of operation.
3Ease of repair
If existing surgical instruments are used, then the procedure can be performed, but the instruments cannot easily reset or replace components
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient strip is designed as a separate, extractable component that can be removed from the instrument body and replaced independently. This extraction capability allows the elastomeric strip to be easily replaced after use or if it becomes damaged, simplifying maintenance and repair processes without requiring complex disassembly of the entire instrument system.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient elastomeric strip is designed as a disposable or replaceable component that can be discarded after a single use or recovered for replacement. This approach simplifies the overall device complexity by allowing the complex elastomeric element to be easily replaced rather than repaired, and enables the instrument body to be reused multiple times with different strips, improving ease of component replacement.
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 instrument reduces the risk of jamming and breakage, allows for easy component replacement, and provides tactile feedback for surgeon control, enabling safe, multi-level use in osteoporotic bone without the need for separate drills or balloons.
Implementation Method 1
a first strip of resilient material having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first strip of resilient material fixed in position relative to the outer sleeve; and a second strip of resilient material having a first end and a second end
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C~1D
AI summary
System and methods for transversely displacing structures in the body can include a device for displacing structures in a patient's body, the device having: a handle; a first longitudinal member fixed in position relative to the handle; a second longitudinal member coaxial with the first longitudinal member, the second longitudinal member movable relative to the first longitudinal member between a retracted position and an extended position; and at least one resilient blade extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the proximal end of the at least one resilient blade mechanically fixed in position relative to the second longitudinal member; wherein the distal end of the at least one resilient blade is engaged with the first longitudinal member when the second longitudinal member is in its extended position and disengaged from the first longitudinal member when the second longitudinal member is in its retracted position.