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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1480298
This article is part of the Research Topic Highlights of Biomaterials International 2024 View all articles

Biomechanical Assessment of Kirschner Wires Integrated with a Novel External Fixation Device for Treatment of Pediatric Supracondylar Humeral Fracture: A Finite Element Analysis

Provisionally accepted
YU-HSIN LU YU-HSIN LU 1WEI-CHUN LEE WEI-CHUN LEE 2,3Si-Yao Wang Si-Yao Wang 2,3Chi-Yu Mao Chi-Yu Mao 4Wen-E Yang Wen-E Yang 2,3Chia-Hsieh Chang Chia-Hsieh Chang 2,3Ching-Lung Tai Ching-Lung Tai 4,5Hsuan-Kai Kao Hsuan-Kai Kao 2,3,5*
  • 1 Department of General Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
  • 2 Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
  • 3 Bone and Joint Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
  • 4 Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
  • 5 Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures present considerable surgical challenges due to the difficulty of achieving proper fracture alignment and stable fixation while avoiding injury to the ulnar nerve. This study assesses the biomechanical performance of a novel Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation device (KFD), designed to enhance stability and reduce complications linked to traditional K-wire configurations.Methods: Using finite element analysis (FEA), we evaluated four fixation strategies for treatment of pediatric supracondylar humeral simple transverse fractures: crossed pin fixation, crossed pin fixation with KFD, two lateral pin fixation, and two lateral pin fixation with KFD, under various mechanical loads. The analysis focused on the stress and strain experienced by the K-wires at the fracture site during torsional and bending forces.Results: FEA revealed that the KFD significantly reduced the stress and strain on the K-wires in all configurations. In both crossed pin and two lateral pin fixation methods, the addition of the KFD showed lower stress and strain levels compared to setups without the KFD.Conclusion: This study demonstrates the potential of the KFD to enhance fracture stability and reduce mechanical stress at the fracture site, suggesting a promising improvement in the treatment of pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures. This innovation may contribute to safer and more reliable outcomes in pediatric orthopedic surgery.

    Keywords: Kirschner wires, pediatric supracondylar humeral fracture, External fixation device, Torsion, bending, Finite Element Analysis

    Received: 13 Aug 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 LU, LEE, Wang, Mao, Yang, Chang, Tai and Kao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Hsuan-Kai Kao, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan City, Taiwan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.