Variable Depth Medical Implant with Adjustable Lattice Structure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medical implants lack adjustability in footprint area, requiring multiple sizes to be available before surgery and potentially leading to inadequate size options during procedures.
Innovation Solution
Development of medical implants with a variable or adjustable depth, comprising a main implant body and an adjustable portion, allowing for multiple footprint configurations through a lattice structure that can be adjusted outside the patient and locked in place, reducing the need for multiple implant sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple implant sizes are kept available before surgery, then adequate size options are provided, but the complexity of inventory management and preparation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is designed with an adjustable depth mechanism that allows a single implant design to perform multiple functions across different depth requirements. The main implant body can be configured with different depths by adjusting the relative position of the main body and extension portion, eliminating the need for multiple specialized implant sizes in the inventory.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant incorporates a dynamic adjustment capability where the depth can be modified before implantation by moving the extension portion relative to the main body. This dynamic feature allows the implant to adapt to different surgical requirements without requiring multiple static implant variants.
2Device complexity
If a single implant design is used for all depths, then inventory is simplified, but the ability to match specific patient anatomy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into two main segments: a main implant body and an extension portion. These segments can be positioned at different relative depths to create varying total implant depths, allowing a single design to accommodate different anatomical requirements while maintaining structural integrity through the lattice connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism operates along the depth dimension, allowing the implant to vary in one critical dimension (depth) while maintaining consistency in other dimensions. This enables anatomical matching in the depth direction without requiring complete redesign of the implant across all dimensions.
3Length of stationary object
If the adjustable portion increases the overall implant height, then the footprint area is increased, but the structural integrity and elastic modulus may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The extension portion is designed with a lattice structure that provides localized structural support. The lattice configuration in the extension portion is optimized to maintain adequate strength and elastic modulus properties specifically in the extended region, ensuring that the additional depth does not compromise overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant combines different structural configurations - the main body with its established structural properties and the extension portion with its lattice structure. This composite approach allows the extension to add depth while the lattice structure provides the necessary mechanical strength, creating a unified structure with balanced properties.
Data Source
AI summary
The variable or adjustable depth medical implants in this application are capable of depth adjustment prior to implantation. The variable depth implants permit a single implant to provide multiple footprint configurations, allowing a surgeon footprint adjustability in the operating room. The implants can comprise a metallic lattice designed for specific physical properties, such as an elastic modulus. In some examples, the main body of the implant is taller than the adjustable portion of the implant (also referred to as the second implant body) so that the physical properties of the main body of the implant are controlling at the implant site. In some embodiments, the variable implant is constructed in an additive process as a single unit.