Segmented External Fixation Plates for Bone Deformity Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current external bone fixation systems for treating bone deformity and trauma are uncomfortable, inconvenient for wound cleaning, and provide temporary, unstable fixation with limited weight-bearing capability, often requiring oversized rings that encumber patients.
Innovation Solution
A customizable external fixation system using fixation plates such as C, N, J, K, and Foot Plates, coupled with posts, rods, and telescoping struts, allowing for stable fixation while accommodating edema and providing easier access for wound care, with various configurations to suit individual anatomy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If circular rings are used to surround the patient's limb, then the fixation provides stability, but the device becomes uncomfortable and inconvenient for wound cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The circular ring is segmented into multiple fixation plates (C-plate, N-plate, J-plate, K-plate, I-plate) that can be independently positioned and configured. This segmentation allows the fixation structure to provide stability while creating openings and pathways that improve access to the limb for wound cleaning and reduce patient discomfort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If oversized rings are used to accommodate large extremities, then the device can fit larger patients, but the device becomes more encumbering and uncomfortable
Solution Approach 1:
Different fixation plates are designed with specific local geometries (C-shape, N-shape, J-shape, K-shape, I-shape) that can be selected and configured to match the local anatomy of the patient's limb. This allows the device to adapt to various limb sizes and shapes without requiring a single oversized ring that would encumber the patient, as each plate can be optimally sized and shaped for its specific location.
3Reliability
If traditional external fixation systems are used for acute trauma, then temporary fixation is provided, but the system lacks weight-bearing capability and is difficult to reposition
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation system incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable elements that allow it to transition from a temporary fixation state to a more permanent, load-bearing configuration. The modular plate and connector design enables dynamic adjustment of the fixation strength and configuration as the patient's condition evolves and weight-bearing needs increase.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an apparatus and component parts of a system for the external fixation of bones. The component parts include fixation plates such as a J-shaped Plate and an I-shaped Plate. Two or more fixation plates are configured along an axis, the two or more fixation plates; a plurality of telescoping adjustable struts that connect a first fixation plate along the axis with a second fixation plate of the plurality of fixation plates along the axis, wherein the first and second fixation plates are adjacent plates along the axis; and a plurality of posts, each post connecting two adjacent fixation plates of the plurality of fixation plates along the axis.