as a preliminary matter , it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (“ ordinary artisan ”) that the present invention has broad utility and application . as should be understood , any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed features . furthermore , any embodiment discussed and identified as being “ preferred ” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention . other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention . as should be understood , any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above - disclosed features . moreover , many embodiments , such as adaptations , variations , modifications , and equivalent arrangements , will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention , and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention . the detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended , nor is to be construed , to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention in any claim of a patent issuing here from , which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof . it is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself . thus , for example , any sequence ( s ) and / or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive . accordingly , it should be understood that , although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order , the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order , absent an indication otherwise . indeed , the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by the issued claim ( s ) rather than the description set forth herein . additionally , it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein . to the extent that the meaning of a term used herein — as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term — differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term , it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail . regarding applicability of 35 u . s . c . § 112 , ¶ 6 , no claim element is intended to be read in accordance with this statutory provision unless the explicit phrase “ means for ” or “ step for ” is actually used in such claim element , whereupon this statutory provision is intended to apply in the interpretation of such claim element . furthermore , it is important to note that , as used herein , “ a ” and “ an ” each generally denotes “ at least one ,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise . thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having an apple ” describes “ a picnic basket having at least one apple ” as well as “ a picnic basket having apples .” in contrast , reference to “ a picnic basket having a single apple ” describes “ a picnic basket having only one apple .” when used herein to join a list of items , “ or ” denotes “ at least one of the items ,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list . thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having cheese or crackers ” describes “ a picnic basket having cheese without crackers ”, “ a picnic basket having crackers without cheese ”, and “ a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers .” finally , when used herein to join a list of items , “ and ” denotes “ all of the items of the list .” thus , reference to “ a picnic basket having cheese and crackers ” describes “ a picnic basket having cheese , wherein the picnic basket further has crackers ,” as well as describes “ a picnic basket having crackers , wherein the picnic basket further has cheese .” referring now to the drawings , one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention are next described . the following description of one or more preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its implementations , or uses . as described above , in the nuss procedure , one or more bars are inserted inside of a patient &# 39 ; s chest to hold out the sternum , but sometimes when an insufficient number of bars are used inside of a patient , the bars fail and the patient &# 39 ; s sternum pushes back into the patient &# 39 ; s chest cavity . one or more preferred implementations relate to a tool for use in measuring the force required to push out a patient &# 39 ; s sternum so as to inform a decision as to how many bars to utilize . in accordance with one or more preferred implementations , a device comprises a small rod with a handle allowing it to be firmly gripped . preferably , the device comprises metal or other strong material to resist bending when used to the push the inside of a patient &# 39 ; s sternum . the device preferably includes , at the end of the rod opposite the handle , a sensor ( such as a pressure sensor ) installed with a face configured for engagement with and pressing on the inside of a patient &# 39 ; s sternum . the device preferably further includes , at or proximate the handle , a display , such as an electronic display , configured to display the force ( e . g . measured in newtons ) or mass ( e . g . measured in pounds or kilograms ) measured by the pressure sensor . preferably , the handle comprises a material configured to provide a firm grip to a medical practitioner but that is non - absorbent to facilitate use during surgery . in one or more preferred implementations , a device is around two feet long so as to allow for insertion into a patient in a manner such that the sensor at one end of the device can engage the center of a patient &# 39 ; s sternum . in one or more preferred implementations , in addition to having a display , or alternatively , a device includes one or more wired or wireless interfaces configured to allow the device to exchange data with another electronic device , e . g . communicate readings to a computer or mobile electronic device . this might include , for example , via a wifi or bluetooth connection . in one or more preferred implementations , software at a computer or other electronic device is configured to utilize data obtained from a device to determine how many bars to insert into a patient &# 39 ; s chest . in one or more preferred implementations , a device itself is configured to determine how many bars to utilize and outputs that information on a display of the device , either in addition to measurement information , or in place thereof . fig1 illustrates an exemplary device 10 in accordance with one or more preferred implementations . the device 10 includes a sensor disposed at a face 12 proximate one end of the device 10 , and a handle 14 at a second , opposite end of the device 10 . the device further includes an electronic display 18 configured to display reading data from the sensor . although the device 10 is illustrated as including a sensor disposed at an end face 12 , in one or more preferred implementations , as illustrated in fig2 , a device 20 includes a sensor disposed at a face 22 extending from a lengthwise extent of the device 20 . similarly , although the device 10 is illustrated as including a display 18 disposed along a lengthwise extent of the handle 14 , in one or more preferred implementations , as illustrated in fig3 , a device 30 includes a display 38 disposed at an end of the device 30 . further , although the devices 10 , 20 , 30 are illustrated as including a rectangular face at which a sensor is disposed , this is merely exemplary in nature , and other types of faces may be provided , as illustrated , for example , in fig4 ( illustrating exemplary device 40 ) and fig5 ( illustrating exemplary device 50 ). in general , it will be appreciated that the illustrations in the figures are illustrations of exemplary devices , and that devices in accordance with various preferred implementations may take various shapes and sizes . in accordance with one or more preferred implementations , a device including a sensor is configured to measure a force associated with pushing out a patient &# 39 ; s sternum . preferably , the device is inserted into a patient &# 39 ; s chest via an incision , and a face of the device engages the patient &# 39 ; s sternum so as to obtain a force or resistance measurement associated with the patient &# 39 ; s sternum . this measurement is either displayed on an electronic display of the device , or communicated to another electronic device ( e . g . via wireless or wired communications ). this measurement is utilized to determine a number of bars necessary to insert in accordance with the nuss procedure to support the patient &# 39 ; s sternum , and a surgeon inserts the determined number of bars . based on the foregoing description , it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application . many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those specifically described herein , as well as many variations , modifications , and equivalent arrangements , will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof , without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention . accordingly , while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention . the foregoing disclosure is not intended to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise exclude any such other embodiments , adaptations , variations , modifications or equivalent arrangements , the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof .
a method for treating pectus excavatum includes making an incision in the chest of a patient , inserting , via the incision , a device comprising a sensor configured to measure force at a face disposed proximate a first end of the device , manipulating the device such that the face of the device engages a sternum of the patient , displaying , on the electronic display of the device , measurement data based on a reading taken by the sensor during the engagement of the face of the device with the sternum of the patient , and determining , based on the displayed measurement data , a number of bars to install in the patient &# 39 ; s chest , and inserting , via one or more incisions , the determined number of bars into the patient &# 39 ; s chest in such a manner as to push out the patient &# 39 ; s sternum and maintain the patient &# 39 ; s sternum in a pushed out condition .