Minimally Invasive Iliac Crest Bone Graft Harvesting: A Design and Business Method Overview

Abstract

Bone grafts are used commonly in spinal fusion procedures to induce the fusion of adjacent spinal vertebrae. Autologous bone graft (autograft) is taken from the patient’s own bone. This bone graft provides the best fusion rates; however, obtaining the bone graft requires a secondary incision that is time consuming to the surgeon and very painful to the patient. Alternative commercial bone graft solutions exist as well. However, these alternatives produce worse clinical outcomes and greatly increase the cost of health care. We propose a novel medical device for the minimally invasive extraction of autologous bone graft from the iliac crest of a patient. This device will allow physicians to achieve high fusion rates without burdening the hospital with the high costs of alternative products. Here, we overview our current design at a systems level and we demonstrate the market potential for the proposed device and outline a commercialization strategy for bringing this device to market.