Orthopedic Shoulder Guide Radial Safety Boundary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the proper size and placement of a humeral implant in shoulder arthroplasty procedures is complex and time-consuming, often requiring imaging to avoid impingement and damage to the humerus cortex, increasing surgical costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
An orthopedic guide with a radial dimension length that indicates a minimum safety boundary for the humeral implant relative to the humerus cortex, allowing for efficient sizing without imaging, and featuring arms with shapes corresponding to the humeral implant for improved visualization and placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If imaging is performed to determine proper humeral implant size and placement, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but loss of time, device complexity, and surgical cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide performs preliminary assessment of humeral implant sizing during the surgical procedure itself, eliminating the need for separate preoperative imaging studies. The guide's outer radial end portion provides immediate visual feedback on adequate bone stock, allowing surgeons to determine proper implant size without time-consuming imaging protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide replicates the critical dimensional relationships of the humeral implant and bone anatomy in a simplified form. By creating a physical model with the outer radial end portion that corresponds to the implant's radial extent, the guide provides a tactile and visual copy of the sizing relationship that would otherwise require complex imaging to assess.
2Measurement precision
If imaging is performed to determine proper humeral implant size and placement, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and surgical cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential sizing function from complex imaging systems and concentrates it into a simple mechanical guide. By removing the unnecessary complexity of imaging equipment and protocols, the guide provides accurate sizing assessment through direct mechanical measurement and visual indication.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide represents a simple, disposable mechanical instrument that replaces expensive, complex imaging equipment for the specific purpose of implant sizing. The guide can be discarded after single use, eliminating the need for expensive imaging machinery while providing equivalent sizing information.
3Reliability
If a larger outer radial end portion is added to the guide arm, then the guide's ability to indicate minimum safety boundary is improved, but the guide's dimensions deviate from the implant geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The guide arm exhibits local quality by having most of its structure correspond to the implant geometry for proper positioning, while the outer radial end portion specifically deviates to provide safety boundary indication. This localized modification allows the guide to maintain overall geometric correspondence while adding a specific functional feature for reliable sizing assessment.
Data Source
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AI summary
An orthopedic guide may include a cannulated shaft, a body and a plurality of arms. The body can be coupled to the cannulated shaft. The plurality of arms can extend radially outward from the body. One or more of the plurality of arms can include an outer radial end portion that has a length in a radial dimension configured to indicate a minimum safety boundary for a humeral implant relative to a cortex of a humerus.