Forum Summary

Rib fractures can cause serious problems with ventilation and oxygenation, and surgical stabilization is currently regarded as the most effective treatment for many patients.  Current surgical techniques involve large incisions and long recovery times, so clinicians are seeking tools to repair rib fractures less invasively, which would allow patients to recuperate more quickly.  With this goal in mind, a team of students at MIT is developing an endoscopic screw driver capable of screwing resorbable plates into bone in order to stabilize fractured ribs.  The students’ device is 12 millimeters in diameter, and its tip is capable of 60-degree articulation, allowing surgeons to maneuver in tight spaces.  The device uses self-drilling screws and contains a safeguard to ensure that screws do not disengage from the screw driver prematurely.  The power to drive the screws into bone is transmitted along a flexible shaft, and pulling on the shaft allows the operator to change the angle of articulation at the tip of the screw driver.  In the future, the students plan to file for a patent and to test their device in animal models.    

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