Project Overview

Tibia fractures are common in children, and these injuries are currently managed nonoperatively using casts; however, a surgically implanted device would provide more structural stability and aid the healing of the fracture. Adult patients with this injury typically have a rigid intramedullary device implanted into their tibia bone. Unfortunately, these implants cannot be used in pediatric patients due to the presence of growth plates at the implantation site. A previous design team produced a working device that can enter the medullary canal through a hole in the side of the bone and then expand outward to stabilize the fracture, held in place by static friction against the canal wall. This device is flexible enough to fit into the canal, yet rigid enough to maintain fracture reduction, can be secured in place with screws, and can be removed from the canal when desired; however, the device is not fully fixated against the walls of the bone canal, and the friction force of the device is not sufficient to prevent axial rotation within the canal. This rotation can lead to device failure resulting in unnecessary pain for the patient and extra surgery to correct the issue. Last semester, our team designed a theoretical device consisting of a threaded segmented centerpiece inside of a metal biaxial braid. When the centerpiece is rotated, the braid experiences a compressive load, which causes it to expand radially. This radial expansion would ultimately provide the force to stabilize the fracture; however, the current design is not ideal, and the client has recommended improvements for this design.
The goal of this semester is to improve the design from last semester by optimizing the centerpiece design and the braid/cap interface, which will give us the ability to build and test a prototype, and to develop a novel tool that can rotate the centerpiece when the implant is placed into a bone.

Team Picture

Files

• Week 5 Progress Report 2/27/2014 (February 27, 2014)
• Week 6 Progress Report 03/06/14 (March 6, 2014)
• Gantt Chart - As of 3/03/2014 (March 10, 2014)
• Week 7 Progress Report 3/13/14 (March 14, 2014)
• Week 9 Progress Report 3/27/14 (March 28, 2014)
• Week 10 Progress Report 4/3/14 (April 3, 2014)
• Week 11 Progress Report 4/10/14 (April 11, 2014)
• Week 12 Progress Report 4/17/14 (April 18, 2014)
• Week 13 Progress Report 4/24/14 (April 24, 2014)
• Week 14 Progress Report 4/1/14 (May 1, 2014)
• Final Poster Presentation (May 2, 2014)
• Final Report (May 7, 2014)
• Week 1 Progress Report 1/30/14 (January 30, 2014)
• Week 2 Progress Report 2/06/14 (February 6, 2014)
• Week 3 Progress Report 2/14/14 (February 14, 2014)
• Week 4 Progress Report 2/20/14 (February 20, 2014)
• Mid-Semester Presentation (February 25, 2014)
• Project Design Specifications (February 26, 2014)
• Midsemester Report (February 26, 2014)

Contact Information

Team Members

• Evan Lange - Team Leader
• Karl Kabarowski - Communicator & BSAC
• Sarah Dicker - BWIG
• Tyler Max - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Prof. Paul Thompson - Advisor
• Dr. Matthew Halanski - Client

Related Projects

• Spring 2014: Tibial stent: Designing a novel fixation device for pediatric orthopaedic tibia fractures
• Fall 2013: Tibial stent: Designing a novel fixation device for pediatric orthopaedic tibia fractures
• Spring 2013: Tibial stent: Designing a novel fixation device for pediatric orthopaedic tibia fractures
• Fall 2012: Tibial stent: Designing a novel fixation device for pediatric orthopaedic tibia fractures