Segmented Bone Fixation Wire with Resilient Bead
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bone fixation wires have drawbacks such as significant waste in manufacturing, limited geometries, undesirable balance and handling characteristics, and limited effectiveness in temporarily retaining bone plates in place during placement, leading to undesirable shifting during final fixation.
Innovation Solution
The development of a temporary fixation device comprising a wire member with a flange and a retaining member with a spring mechanism, allowing for adjustable diameters and improved engagement with bone plates, thereby enhancing stability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional bone fixation wires are machined from rod stock of a single material, then the manufacturing process is simple, but significant waste is generated and the relative geometries of the rod and bead portions are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation wire is divided into separate rod and bead portions that can be manufactured independently and then assembled. The rod portion is formed from rod stock while the bead portion is formed separately, allowing each component to be optimized for its specific function without wasting material through monolithic machining.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation wire combines different materials for the rod and bead portions, creating a composite structure. This allows the rod to be made from a material optimized for tensile strength and the bead from a material optimized for engagement with the bone plate, eliminating the need to machine a single-material monolithic structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional bone fixation wires are machined from rod stock of a single material, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the relative geometries of the rod and bead portions are limited
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the rod and bead portions into independent components, the design allows for greater geometric flexibility. Each portion can be manufactured with its optimal geometry (rod for tensile strength, bead for plate engagement) and then assembled, rather than being constrained by monolithic machining capabilities.
3Device complexity
If conventional bone fixation wires are used, then the structure is simple, but undesirable balance and handling characteristics are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The bead portion is designed with a resilient material that allows it to deform and adapt during insertion, providing better balance and handling characteristics. The elastic properties of the bead portion enable it to flex during manipulation and then return to its original shape, improving ease of operation compared to rigid monolithic structures.
4Device complexity
If monolithic bone fixation wires are used, then the structure is simple, but the effectiveness in temporarily retaining bone plates is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure with separate rod and bead portions allows the bead to be made from a resilient material that provides effective temporary retention of the bone plate. The elastic bead portion can deform to accommodate the plate and then return to its original shape, providing reliable temporary fixation that monolithic wires cannot achieve.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient bead portion provides dynamic retention capability, allowing the wire to temporarily hold the bone plate in place during insertion and manipulation. The elastic deformation and recovery of the bead portion creates effective temporary fixation, whereas rigid monolithic wires lack this adaptive retention capability.
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 proposed solution improves the stability and handling of bone fixation devices, reduces manufacturing waste, and enhances the effectiveness of temporary bone plate retention, minimizing shifting during final fixation.
Implementation Method 1
a spring member disposed between the flange and the retaining member and secured to the retaining member. The retaining member is movable from a first position on the second portion toward the flange to a second position on the second portion; and the spring member is biased to move the retaining member from the second position to the first position
Data Source
AI summary
Various temporary fixation devices, fixation systems and kits, and methods of fixing a bone plate to a bone are described. A temporary fixation device includes a wire member and a retaining member. The wire member has a proximal end, a distal end, a flange disposed between the proximal end and the distal end, a first portion extending from the proximal end to the flange and defining a first outer diameter, and a second portion extending from the distal end toward the flange and defining a second outer diameter and a second portion outer surface. The retaining member defines an inner passageway and can be disposed on the second portion of the wire member such that the retaining member is movable along the second portion of the wire member, from the distal end to the flange. The elongate member comprises a first material and the stopping member comprises a second material that is different from the first material.