Self-guiding surgical bone fixation screw with threadless end segment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal fixation procedures require larger incisions or use guide wires that can be dislocated or kinked, leading to complications such as jamming of pedicle screws, which can cause serious medical issues like penetration into vital structures.
Innovation Solution
A self-guiding surgical bone fixation screw with a threadless, elongated, and smoothly blended guiding end segment that eliminates the need for a guide wire, allowing for smaller incisions and reducing the risk of screw misalignment or jamming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a guide wire is used to guide the screw along the trajectory, then the screw insertion precision is improved, but the risk of wire dislocation or kinking increases leading to potential complications
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wire is completely removed from the system. Instead of using a separate guide wire to define the trajectory, the screw itself incorporates an integrated guiding mechanism through its elongated smooth-shanked end portion that directly engages with the preformed bore to ensure accurate positioning without requiring a separate wire component.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding function previously performed by a separate guide wire is merged into the screw structure itself. The elongated smooth-shanked end portion of the screw combines the functions of trajectory guidance and screw insertion into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for a separate guide wire and its associated risks.
2Illumination intensity
If a larger incision is made to provide direct view of the vertebrae, then the surgeon's visibility is improved, but the tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The screw's elongated smooth-shanked end portion serves as its own guide, eliminating the need for fluoroscopy or other imaging assistance that would be required with a smaller incision. The self-guiding structure allows the surgeon to proceed with minimal exposure while maintaining accuracy through the screw's inherent geometric guidance features.
3Speed
If the pedicle screw is advanced after catching on a bend or kink in the k-wire, then the screw insertion speed is improved, but the risk of penetrating vital structures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wire that could potentially kink or bend is completely removed from the system. The screw's integrated guiding end portion eliminates the intermediate wire component that creates the risk of kinking, allowing safe and rapid insertion without the hazard of wire deformation leading to cortical penetration.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical bone fixation screw having a head, an end segment distally from the head and an intermediate shank having outwardly protruding screw threads. The improvement is a self guiding, threadless, elongated end segment having a smooth outer surface with no cutting edges, a length of at least 8 mm and preferably 15 mm and a bluntly rounded end with an outer contour that is smoothly blended to the shank. Most preferably, the bluntly rounded end is substantially a prolate hemispheroid.