Safely and Precisely Manipulates Needles for Use in Interventional Pain Procedures
This mechanical device enables the consistent and precise manipulation of spinal needles for performing interventional pain procedures. Approximately 54 to 80% of the population will experience spinal pain in their lifetime. A usual treatment method for spinal-related pain is to prescribe opioid medication. This typically requires dosage increases, often causing opioid addiction, for pain relief. Alternative treatment developments for diagnosing and treating spinal and other chronic pain types focus on anatomic etiologies.
Interventional procedures, such as nerve root blocks, radiofrequency ablation, and joint injection, block pain directly at the source. These procedures use fluoroscopic imagery techniques to guide needles through tissues to reach nerves, sometimes located between facets or joints in the spine. A limiting factor, however, is their ability to reach the target tissue. Surgeons, at times, will manually bend needle tips to impart a bend to facilitate its insertion into these areas. This is dangerous for surgeons, resulting in skin punctures, needle contamination, and difficulty maneuvering due to variability in the curvature. Missing a target tissue, even by a few millimeters, can result in incomplete or failed treatments, further damage, and additional pain. While spinal needles with pre-bent tips are commercially available, a limited number of curvature angles exist, making the pre-set, pre-bent tips unsuitable for all situations. A device readily available during procedures and able to bend needles to any degree necessary, as required by individual patients, is essential.
Researchers at the University of Florida have developed Accu-Bend, a needle-bending apparatus for manipulating spinal needles for interventional pain procedures targeting the cervical, lumbar spine, and peripheral nerves and joints. Physicians can apply a controlled, safe, and precise bend to the needle, allowing for patient variability and aiding in performing faster, safer, and more accurate procedures.
Application
Accu-Bend accurately and safely bends spinal needles for easy manipulation during interventional pain procedures
Advantages
- Accu-Bend bends needles to any specific degree, accommodating patient-specific procedures
- The sloped face of the device supports the length of the needle, inhibiting breakage
- Eliminates the need for manual needle adjustments, reducing variability and risk to physicians, enabling faster, safer, and more precise procedures
Technology
Accu-Bend provides a safe, accurate, consistent, and immediate method for bending spinal needles, resulting in a standardized needle shape and curve. This mechanical device has a base with a sloped face and needle slot, leading to a groove with a port for receiving a spinal needle. The needle placement permits the tip to extend out of the groove, projecting over the sloped face. A presser, rotatably attached to the base, then advances, forcing the needle to bend until reaching the desired angle. The bend can then be positioned at any point along the needle shaft by varying the needle's position within the groove. This device is easy for physicians to manipulate when wearing surgical gloves and allows surgeons to use their experience and knowledge of the patient to form the necessary angle in the spinal needle for immediate use. Accu-bend can serve as a sterile, disposable needle bender and eliminates the unsafe and imprecise practice of bending spinal needles by hand, resulting in a standardized bending process for consistent treatment results.
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