Our AEFIX clamp is an affordable external fixator clamp costing just $5. It designed for use in large external fixation constructs, with 5mm pins and 11mm rods. The aim of the AEFIX clamp is to make external fixation – an essential tool for managing open fractures and polytrauma – available to all patients who need it, especially in resource-limited settings and humanitarian crises.
(patent pending)
Affordable External Fixation
What is external fixation?
External fixation (see photo) is an essential and versatile tool for temporarily stabilizing
fractures, especially open fractures and fractures in critically ill patients with multiple injuries.
The external fixator works by placing threaded pins through the skin and into the patient’s
bone. These pins are then connected in a modular fashion with clamps to a customizable frame
of rigid metal rods outside of the patient’s body. The frame can be adjusted to place the
patient’s fracture in near-anatomic alignment, and the clamps tightened to hold the fracture in
place.
The problem.
External fixation is accomplished via the combination of sterile pins and external rods and clamps. While pins and rods are relatively inexpensive, the external fixation of one patient requires multiple clamps that can cost up to $600 each. Without external fixation, trauma patients with multiple injuries or open fractures cannot have their fractures adequately immobilized, resulting in severe pain and increased risk of severe complications including poor fracture healing, infection, disability, amputation, and even death.
How it started.
The preliminary designs for SONA Global’s external fixation were developed by our AEFIX advisor, Professor Dankward Höntzsch, who designed a clever technique for making ex-fix clamps with affordable materials.
At SONA Global, we refined and adjusted these designs and developed a patent pending design ideal for global development and large-scale manufacturing.
This included a rigorous quality assurance evaluation against industry-standard solutions via formal mechanical testing.
The SONA Solution.
Our AEFIX clamp™ is ideal for the limited resource setting where it can be used to provide temporary external fixation of long bone and peri-articular fractures. It is a universal clamp capable of pin-to-rod or rod-to-rod connections in a modular customizable external fixation assembly. It is designed to work best with 5mm pins and 11mm rods, though it can accept 6mm pins and 12mm rods if needed. We can offer our AEFIX clamp for just $5, compared to approximately $400-$600 for the industry-standard external fixator clamps most commonly used in the United States.
(patent pending)
AEFIX
Surgical Technique Guide
New to AEFIX? See the Surgical Technique Guide to learn how it works!
Make a donation.
We continue to improve our AEFIX design and are beginning the first phases of using this innovation to support our colleagues in Ukraine, Cameroon, and around the world.
Email us at info@sonaglobal.org for more information.