Tapered Orthopedic Staple Bridge for Low-Profile Bone Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthopedic implants with uniform bridge thickness can create a bulge or protuberance under the skin, which can be uncomfortable for patients, and lack sufficient bending strength compared to implants with tapered designs.
Innovation Solution
An elastic orthopedic staple implant with a bridge that has slanted surfaces, resulting in a tapered shape and non-orthogonal surfaces, providing a lower profile and increased bending strength by being wider than the legs, and can be elastically deformed for insertion and then return to a converging shape for compression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the bridge has uniform thickness from end to end, then the implant is easier to manufacture, but it creates a rectangular lump that can be felt as discomfort by the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge transitions from uniform thickness to variable thickness, with the central portion having a greater distance between upper and lower surfaces than the end portions. This local variation in geometry eliminates the rectangular lump effect while maintaining manufacturability through standard machining processes.
2Ease of manufacture
If the bridge has uniform thickness, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the implant creates a protuberance under the skin
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge geometry is modified locally at the central portion to reduce the distance between upper and lower surfaces, creating a tapered or contoured profile that eliminates skin-level protuberances while keeping the manufacturing process straightforward.
3Strength
If the bridge is wider than the legs, then the bending strength is increased, but the implant complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge width is increased locally at the central portion relative to the leg regions, providing enhanced bending strength where needed while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that does not significantly increase implant complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implant achieves a lower profile with reduced protuberance and enhanced bending strength, providing effective bone fixation with less discomfort to the patient and improved surgical outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
shape memory orthopedic staples can be temporarily distorted within their elastic strain limits so that the legs are parallel. After insertion and upon release, and, if necessary upon heating to the proper temperature, the implant will return to its converging shape
Implementation Method 2
The corners 4 and 5 produce rotational torque to squeeze the tips 6 and 7 together thereby creating a compressive force between the legs 1 and 2
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6
AI summary
An orthopedic implant includes a bridge and at least a first leg extending from a first end of the bridge and a second leg extending from the second end of the bridge. The bridge includes a first upper section and a second lower section. The first upper section includes surfaces that are non-orthogonal and taper from a central surface to provide the first upper section with a non-uniform cross-section. The second lower section includes surfaces that are non-orthogonal and taper from a central surface to provide the second lower section with a non-uniform cross-section. The non-uniform cross-sections of the first upper section and the second lower section flatten the profile of the bridge, thereby producing an orthopedic implant with a smooth composite surface.