Spinal Fusion Implant Blade Actuation and Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spinal fusion implants lack a mechanism for secure and controlled deployment of blades to ensure stable bone ingrowth and fusion, often resulting in instability and potential deformation under pressure.
Innovation Solution
The implant features a housing with a blade actuating component, including a driven shaft portion and a blocking pin, which allows the blade to move between retracted and extended positions, with a locking mechanism to secure the blade in place, facilitating controlled deployment and stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the blade is made extendable to improve bone ingrowth stability, then the stabilization capability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for actuating mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is designed as a dynamic component that can transition between retracted and extended positions. The blade actuating component enables controlled extension of the blade outwardly from the housing to engage with bone tissue, providing stabilization only when needed. This dynamic configuration allows the implant to adapt its structure based on functional requirements, improving bone ingrowth stability while managing device complexity through controlled deployment.
2Reliability
If the blocking pin mechanism is added to control blade deployment, then the reliability of controlled deployment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blocking pin is pre-configured within the housing to automatically engage with the driven shaft portion at specific positions. This preliminary positioning ensures that the blade can only be extended when the actuating component overcomes the blocking pin's restriction, providing reliable controlled deployment. The blocking pin mechanism is designed to engage and disengage at predetermined stages, ensuring accurate and repeatable blade deployment without requiring complex external control systems.
3Ease of operation
If the blade is retracted into the housing to reduce profile during insertion, then the ease of insertion is improved, but the time required for blade deployment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is designed to be dynamically extendable from the housing after insertion. During the insertion phase, the blade remains retracted within the housing, allowing the implant to be easily introduced into the surgical site with a minimized profile. Once positioned, the blade actuating component is activated to extend the blade outwardly, transforming the implant from a compact insertion configuration to a deployed stabilization configuration. This dynamic transition optimizes both insertion ease and deployment efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
An implant may include a housing and a blade having a retracted position in the housing and an extended position where the blade extends outwardly from the housing. The implant also includes a blade actuating component, the blade actuating component comprising a driven shaft portion. The blade actuating component is configured to move the blade between the retracted position and the extended position. The housing may include a chamber portion receiving a portion of the driven shaft portion of the blade actuating component. The driven shaft portion may include an opening and a blocking pin received within the opening. In a first position, the blocking pin limits insertion of the blade actuating component. In a second position, the blade actuating component is unrestricted by the blocking pin.