Overview of Orthopedic Screw Drivers
The screwdrivers had to retain screws securely until they were anchored in place, offering an easy to use alternative for orthopedic surgeons who currently employ a variety of surgical devices to retain bone screws, which tend to be overly difficult, complex to use and hard to manufacture by the orthopedic instrument manufacturers . The initial brief was to develop a range with interchangeable shafts for fixing 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 mm screws with hexagonal heads. Theoretical and practical studies resulted in a decision to develop a separate design to enhance the capabilities of the 1.5 mm device to achieve the torque used to tighten orthopedic screws. The pre-production prototype consists of three parts- a shaft, a sleeve and handle- manufactured from different grades of stainless steel to ensure resistance to corrosion and ease of disassembly to allow sterilization. The shaft is attached to the handle using coupling- a universal coup...