Orthopedic Suture Passer Guide for Bone Tunnel Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current suture passers are inadequate for efficiently passing sutures through bone tunnels during orthopedic surgical procedures, particularly in guiding the formation of tunnels and ensuring precise placement of sutures for grafts or implants.
Innovation Solution
A suture passer system that includes a guide for forming tunnels in bones, a cutter for creating the tunnel, a clamping mechanism to secure the bone, and a suture retriever with a receiver and stopper to guide and retain the suture, aligned with anatomical landmarks for precise orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional suture passers are used, then the procedure can be completed, but the efficiency and precision of passing sutures through bone tunnels is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
A guide is introduced as an intermediary component between the cutter and the suture passer. The guide pre-forms a tunnel in the bone and provides a predefined pathway that directs both the cutter and subsequent suture passage, ensuring precise alignment and improving both efficiency and precision of the overall procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The guide performs preliminary action by pre-forming a tunnel in the bone before suture passage. This pre-established pathway eliminates the need for real-time alignment during suture insertion, thereby improving both the efficiency of the procedure and the precision of suture placement through the bone tunnel
2Manufacturing precision
If a guide is added to guide tunnel formation and suture passage, then precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide, cutter, and suture passer components are merged into an integrated system where the guide serves dual purposes for both tunnel formation guidance and suture passage guidance. This consolidation improves precision while managing device complexity through functional integration rather than separate independent components
Solution Approach 2:
The guide is designed as a multi-functional component that serves multiple purposes: guiding the cutter during tunnel formation, defining the tunnel pathway, and guiding subsequent suture passage. This universality improves precision across multiple procedural steps while avoiding the need for separate specialized devices for each function
3Measurement precision
If reference portions are added for anatomical alignment, then orientation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Reference portions with distinct visual characteristics (such as colored markings or contrasting surfaces) are incorporated into the guide and receiver components. These visual references enable precise anatomical alignment through visual detection, improving orientation accuracy while maintaining simple mechanical structures without complex alignment mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
Instruments and techniques to pass a suture are presented. In one illustrative example, a suture passer includes a guide operable to guide the formation of a tunnel in a bone and guide passage of a suture through the tunnel so formed.