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Flexible to rigid long bone intramedullary nail

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The team has been tasked with the creation of a flexible intramedullary nail, allowing surgeons to position the nail more effectively upon implantation.

Project Overview

Intramedullary nailing is an effective method for long bone fracture fixation balancing minimally invasive surgeries, improved fracture alignment, and early load bearing. The procedure inserts a rigid titanium alloy or stainless steel rod into the bone’s medullary canal, gaining access through the top or bottom ends of the bone. In pediatric patients, the operation is complicated by growth plates blocking traditional access points to the medullary canal. Instead of traditional rigid nails, elastic intramedullary nails are used in pediatrics, but they are only effective in fracture alignment and do not present substantial load bearing capabilities. Additionally, these elastic nails require second surgeries for removal. To address these insufficiencies, a novel intramedullary nail using a nitinol rod and saddle shaped segments was designed to balance flexible entrance of elastic intramedullary nails, earlier load bearing, and stability of rigid nails without making significant changes to surgical procedures. The innovative design also avoids entrance through the knee joint, preventing anterior knee pain post operation. The nail was run through 4 point bending, insertion testing, and tensile strain recovery, and SolidWorks simulations were performed to assess viability of design. Insertion testing on a porcine femur was successful, as the nail allowed for a variety of viable angled insertions. The four point bending and SolidWorks simulations highlighted load bearing shortcomings in the design. These would need to be addressed for the design to fully replace traditional intramedullary nails, however, the design does provide a viable alternative to elastic pediatric nails.

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