Miniature Motors for Powered Surgical Screwdrivers

Securing implants and wire meshes to bone during reconstructive or plastic surgery often requires fastening screws. Using manual screw drivers, this tedious process can present ergonomic issues for surgeons and account for a significant portion of the total OR time required for the procedure. Furthermore, surgeons must rely on their own sense of force applied to determine when the screw is completely seated. Driving the screw too far results in bone stripping which reduces the holding force of the screw and causes additional trauma for the patient. Motorizing the surgical screwdriver application results in shorter procedure times and better comfort for the surgeons. Tools with torque limiting functionality can precisely control the seating of the screw to improve patient outcomes and reduce recovery time. All of these benefits ultimately result in lower cost of care. Motorization has already become prominent in Craniomaxillofacial (CMF) procedures, and is expected to expand to medium and large bone procedures in the near future.

Portescap offers sterilizable Slotted BLDC motors that are designed to withstand the repeated autoclave cycles of reusable surgical screwdrivers. The Size 6 sterilizable motor is properly sized and geared for typical screwdriver working points, and its high efficiency allows for longer use times or a smaller battery. Customizations are available to suit specific design requirements, including integrated electronics. Portescap also offers extremely efficient but cost effective 16mm, 17mm, 22mm, and 24mm Brushed DC motors that provide high performance while maintaining low cost for single or limited use powered surgical screw drivers.