Reconfigurable Surgical Rod Bender for Variable Spinal Rod Contours
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a surgical instrument that can create varying severities and contours of bend in surgical rods to accommodate individual patient needs during spinal fixation procedures, while expediting the surgical process.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable surgical rod bender with first and second arm assemblies, each with receiving portions that can engage the rod to create convex or concave profiles by adjusting the handles' position relative to the rod, allowing for incremental and stable bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed configuration rod bender is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to create varying severities and contours of bend is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The rod bender employs a reconfigurable arm assembly where the relative positions of the arms can be adjusted and locked at different configurations. This dynamic reconfiguration capability allows the same instrument to create varying severities and contours of bend in surgical rods, transforming a static device into an adaptable tool that meets diverse patient requirements without requiring multiple specialized instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument is divided into multiple independent arm assemblies that can be positioned and configured separately. Each arm assembly can be independently adjusted to achieve desired bending parameters, allowing the surgeon to segment the bending task into controlled stages and achieve precise control over the rod's final shape while using a single versatile instrument.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple specialized instruments are used for different bend types, then the manufacturing precision for each specific bend type is improved, but the device complexity and surgical time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rod bender is designed as a universal instrument capable of performing multiple bending functions through reconfiguration of its arm assemblies. By integrating convex bending, concave bending, and variable severity bending capabilities into a single instrument, the design eliminates the need for multiple specialized tools, thereby maintaining high bending precision across different applications while improving surgical efficiency and reducing instrument changes.
3Measurement precision
If manual bending techniques are used, then the device complexity is minimized, but the measurement precision and consistency of bend creation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument replaces imprecise manual bending techniques with a structured mechanical system featuring guided arm assemblies and receiving portions. This mechanical guidance system ensures consistent and precise bend creation by constraining the rod during bending and providing reproducible geometric relationships, thereby achieving high measurement precision through engineered mechanics rather than manual skill alone.
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 transitioning the first and third arms towards each other bends the surgical rod in a first orientation and transitioning the first and third arms away from each other bends the surgical rod in a second orientation opposite to the first orientation.