Spinal Stabilization Installation Tool with Flexible Implant Conduit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical techniques for installing spinal stabilization systems are often invasive and time-consuming, necessitating the development of less invasive and more efficient methods for dynamic stabilization of spinal segments.
Innovation Solution
The use of an installation tool with a handle and an elongate shaft featuring a conduit for guiding a flexible implant member and an anchoring mechanism for securing the implant to vertebrae, allowing for percutaneous or minimally invasive installation of a vertebral stabilization system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional surgical techniques are used to install spinal stabilization systems, then the stabilization system can be securely installed, but the surgical procedure becomes invasive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The installation tool is divided into distinct functional segments: a handle portion for operator control, an elongate shaft for penetration, a conduit for guiding the flexible implant member, and an anchoring mechanism for securing the implant. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, reducing overall surgical time while maintaining minimally invasive characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible implant member is nested within the conduit of the installation tool during insertion. The conduit acts as a protective sheath that guides the implant through soft tissue to the target vertebra, then the implant is deployed from the conduit at the destination. This nesting approach simplifies the insertion process and reduces surgical complexity
2Ease of operation
If conventional surgical techniques are used to install spinal stabilization systems, then the stabilization system can be securely installed, but the surgical procedure becomes invasive
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible implant member is constructed from flexible materials that can be guided through narrow conduits and conform to the vertebral anatomy. The flexible nature of both the implant and the installation tool allows for minimally invasive insertion through small incisions, reducing tissue trauma while maintaining secure attachment to the vertebra
Solution Approach 2:
The installation tool serves as an intermediary device that bridges the operator's hands and the flexible implant member. It provides precise control and guidance during insertion, allowing the implant to be delivered to the target location through minimal tissue disruption, thereby reducing surgical trauma while ensuring proper placement
Data Source
AI summary
A system for installing a vertebral stabilization system. The system includes an installation tool including a handle portion and a shaft extending distally from the handle portion. The shaft includes a conduit and a staple mechanism. The system also includes a flexible implant member extending along the conduit configured to be advanced out from a distal end of the shaft, and a staple housed in the staple mechanism. The staple is configured to secure the flexible implant member to a vertebra. The handle portion is configured to selectively advance the flexible implant member from the shaft and to selectively actuate the staple mechanism.