Reconfigurable Surgical Rod Bender for Convex and Concave Bends
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical rod bending tools lack the ability to create varying severities and contours of bend, which is essential for accommodating individual patient needs during spinal fixation surgeries, thereby complicating the surgical process.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable surgical rod bender with first and second arm assemblies that can engage the rod in different orientations, allowing for both convex and concave bends by adjusting the receiving portions and handles with incremental teeth for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed configuration rod bender is used, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot create varying severities or contours of bend to meet individual patient needs
Solution Approach 1:
The rod bender employs movable arm assemblies that can be reconfigured between multiple positions (first, second, third configurations) to create different bend severities and contours. The arms can be positioned at different locations along the rod and adjusted to produce convex or concave bends, transforming a static device into a dynamic, adaptable tool that meets individual patient needs while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through controlled mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into separate arm assemblies (first arm assembly with first and second arms, second arm assembly with third and fourth arms) that can independently engage the rod at different locations. This segmentation allows each arm to be positioned and configured separately, enabling varied bend patterns along the rod length while keeping each individual arm component relatively simple in structure.
2Productivity
If multiple rod bending configurations are integrated into one device, then the need for multiple tools is eliminated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rod bender is designed as a universal device that can perform multiple bending functions: creating convex bends, concave bends, and varying bend severities all with a single instrument. The arm assemblies can be reconfigured to engage the rod in different orientations and positions, eliminating the need for multiple specialized tools while consolidating diverse bending capabilities into one multi-functional device.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple arm assemblies are merged into a single integrated device structure, allowing them to work together or independently on the same rod. The first and second arm assemblies can simultaneously or sequentially engage different portions of the rod, combining their functions to achieve complex bend patterns that would otherwise require multiple separate tools, thereby improving surgical efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the receiving portions are positioned offset from the longitudinal axis, then both convex and concave bends can be created, but the handling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving portions of the arm assemblies are deliberately positioned offset from the longitudinal axis of the rod rather than symmetrically aligned. This asymmetric positioning enables the arms to create both convex and concave bends by engaging the rod at different lateral positions. The offset configuration provides geometric versatility that allows a single device to produce multiple bend orientations without requiring complex mechanical adjustments during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument for bending a surgical rod includes first and second arm assemblies. The first arm assembly includes first and second arms having respective first and second receiving portions configured to receive the surgical rod therein. The second arm assembly includes third and fourth arms having respective third and fourth receiving portions configured to receive the surgical rod therein. The instrument is reconfigurable from an initial configuration in which the first and third receiving portions of the respective first and third arms engage the surgical rod such that spreading of the first and third receiving portions in a first direction bends the surgical rod in a first orientation and spreading of the first and third receiving portions in a second direction bends the surgical rod in a second orientation opposite to the first orientation.