Tapered Bone Fixation Implant with Suture Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bone fixation systems lack effective solutions for providing resistance to pull-out, rotation, and pistoning while promoting bone growth and fusion across multiple bone segments, and they often require screwing into place, which can be cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A biocompatible implant with tapered geometry and bone-engaging features such as rings or barbs that can be inserted axially into a bone's intramedullary canal, providing resistance to pull-out and rotation, and featuring a suture attachment mechanism for additional tissue fixation, allowing for compression and fusion without the need for screwing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw-based fixation system is used, then the implant can be securely fixed in the bone, but the insertion process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the screw-based mechanical fixation system with a push-in implant system that utilizes tapered geometry and interference fit. The implant is inserted axially into the bone canal and secured through friction and mechanical interlocking features, eliminating the need for screwing operations while maintaining fixation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs tapered geometry as a key parameter change to enable easy insertion while ensuring secure fixation. The taper angle and interference fit parameters are optimized to allow the implant to be pushed in easily during insertion, then provide resistance to pull-out and rotation through the friction and mechanical interlocking features once seated.
2Ease of operation
If a simple push-in implant is used, then insertion is easy, but resistance to pull-out and rotation may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates multiple bone-engaging features segmented along the implant shaft, including rings or barbs at different axial positions. These segmented engagement features distribute the mechanical interlocking throughout the implant length, providing cumulative resistance to pull-out and rotation while maintaining simple push-in insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite construction combining a tapered shaft for easy insertion with rigid bone-engaging features (rings or barbs) that provide mechanical interlocking. The combination of the tapered geometry and the rigid engaging features creates a system that is both easy to insert and resistant to pull-out and rotation.
3Reliability
If bone-engaging features such as rings or barbs are added, then resistance to pull-out is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bone-engaging features (rings or barbs) directly into the implant shaft as integral components rather than separate elements. This merging approach provides effective bone engagement and pull-out resistance while minimizing device complexity by eliminating the need for separate fixation components or assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the bone-engaging features to serve multiple functions: the rings or barbs provide mechanical interlocking for pull-out resistance, serve as structural reinforcement for the implant shaft, and can facilitate bone growth through osteoconductive surfaces. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An implant for osteosynthesis which can be used to repair fractures and or fuse joints. The implant comprises one or more through holes for the passage of one or more sutures therethrough and or one or more sutures may be an integral part of the implant. The one or more sutures may be used to pull bone segments together and create compression therebetween and or to affix soft tissue to a bone segment.