Vacuum Bone Cement Mixer for Vertebral Fracture Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bone cement injection systems for treating vertebral compression fractures lack control over cement viscosity and distribution, leading to complications such as leakage, extravasation, and incomplete vertebral height restoration, which can result in further fractures and serious health issues.
Innovation Solution
A bone cement preparation system that utilizes a vacuum channel, filter, and saturation chamber to mix bone cement precursors, allowing for controlled viscosity and distribution, comprising a vacuum source to draw the liquid monomer into the non-liquid polymer component, and a filter to inhibit cement flow, ensuring a settable bone cement with improved handling and reduced leakage risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If high pressure is used to force PMMA into cancellous bone, then cement distribution is improved, but cement leakage and extravasation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter from high pressure to negative pressure (vacuum) to draw cement into the vertebral body, eliminating the need for high pressure injection while achieving uniform cement distribution without leakage or extravasation
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forcing cement into the bone using high pressure, the patent inverts the approach by creating a vacuum environment that draws cement into the vertebral body through negative pressure, thereby preventing cement leakage while ensuring proper distribution
2Ease of operation
If low viscosity cement is used for injection, then ease of injection is improved, but control over cement placement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the viscosity parameter by using vacuum to control the flow and placement of cement, allowing for both ease of injection and precise control over cement placement by regulating the vacuum pressure and flow rate during the injection process
3Device complexity
If manual syringe injection is used, then device simplicity is improved, but control over injection pressure and viscosity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual syringe mechanical injection system with a vacuum-based system that uses negative pressure to draw cement into the vertebral body, providing superior control over injection pressure and viscosity while maintaining relative device simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by using vacuum (negative pressure) to control cement flow and injection, replacing manual mechanical syringe injection with a pressure-controlled system that offers precise control over injection parameters
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 system provides better control over bone cement introduction, reducing leakage and extravasation, enhancing vertebral height restoration, and minimizing complications like pulmonary embolism, while ensuring uniform cement distribution and polymerization, thus improving treatment outcomes for osteoporotic fractures.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum source to draw the liquid monomer into the non-liquid polymer component
Implementation Method 2
a filter to inhibit cement flow
Data Source
AI summary
A system for use in bone cement preparation can include a chamber for intermixing a liquid monomer and solid polymer components, a container, a vacuum channel, and a filter. The mixing chamber can be configured to hold a non-liquid, polymer powder component of a bone cement. The container can be configured to hold a liquid component of the bone cement. The system can have a first interface disposed between the mixing chamber and the container and a second interface disposed between the mixing chamber and the vacuum channel. The second interface can to receive and position the filter between the mixing chamber and the vacuum channel. The vacuum channel can direct a partial vacuum to draw the liquid component from the container into the non-liquid component in the mixing chamber to intermix the components and to thereby provide a settable bone cement.