Device for Fixing Broken Bones Piloted in Gaza, Sri Lanka and Ukraine

No embedded tech I can see.       Forwarded to me regarding possible manufacturing methods.

Device for Fixing Broken Bones Piloted in Gaza, Sri Lanka and Ukraine  by Hayley Dunning, 11 January 2023

Imperial researchers have developed a low-cost, easy-to-manufacture stabiliser for broken bones to help where such devices are in short supply.

The stabiliser, known as an external fixator, holds broken bones in place with metal pins or screws attached to a surrounding metal frame.

We have managed to develop an external fixator that is one-tenth of the cost of commercial devices but with similar performance.    Dr Mehdi Saeidi

When soft tissue is severely damaged together with bone, external fixators are the first step in keeping fractures in legs and arms in place before an operation to definitively fix the bones can be carried out.

However, their cost and low availability in many regions mean people resort to homemade or low-quality fixators that may lead to serious complications or improper healing.

The Imperial external fixator is currently being tested in Gaza and Sri Lanka, and since the invasion of Ukraine, more than 500 fixators have been manufactured in Poland to help with the crisis.

Response to unpredictable situations

This fixator, details of which are published in Frontiers in Medical Technology, is low-cost and has a lightweight design that can be manufactured locally to international standards. The team developed the design and a toolkit to allow repeated precise manufacture of the fixator anywhere in the world, including in the least developed countries.

In Sri Lanka, it is being tested for road traffic accidents, which account for around 70 percent of fractures in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Ukraine and Gaza, both regions with unpredictable demand and supply of such devices, it is being used for gunshot wounds and other conflict trauma.

Lead researcher Dr Mehdi Saeidi, from the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial, said: “We have managed to develop an external fixator that is one-tenth of the cost of commercial devices but with similar performance. This device can provide surge capacity for conflict zones or in response to unpredictable incidents and situations, which was the case with the war in Ukraine.”

Metal rods and discs

The first batch of the parts made in Poland for casualties of the war in Ukraine

The fixator is made up of four clamping systems and a rod, which can be manufactured from stainless steel and aluminum, which are readily available materials, using conventional manufacturing techniques, such as milling and turning. ... '