Aneurysm Clip Color Segmentation for Reliable Surgical Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medical clip systems, particularly aneurysm clips, face challenges in reliably distinguishing between temporary and permanent clips during minimally invasive procedures due to potential obscuration by insertion instruments, leading to confusion.

Innovation Solution

The medical clip is designed with at least three spatially separated areas, each colored differently, where two areas are the same color and not directly adjacent, and a third area is lighter, with the clamping arms, and a pre-tensioning element, a part of the clamping arms, and a part of the clamping arms, and a pre-tensioning element, a part of the clamping arms, and a part of the pre-tensioning element, ensuring visibility even when partially obscured.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a medical clip is color-coded to indicate it as a temporary clip, then the surgeon can distinguish between temporary and permanent clips, but part of the clip may be obscured by the insertion instrument leading to confusion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereliability of clip identificationVSAvoidvisibility of color coding
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The clip is divided into multiple spatially separated colored areas (at least three) along its length. This segmentation ensures that even if one area is obscured by the insertion instrument, other areas remain visible to provide reliable identification of the clip type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different areas of the clip are assigned different colors or color patterns (e.g., two areas of one color and a third area of a lighter color). This local differentiation creates multiple visual cues for identification, ensuring that at least one visible area provides sufficient information for reliable clip recognition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Loss of information

If the clip surface is completely colored for coding, then the shape and size can be identified, but it becomes difficult to differentiate between temporary and permanent clips during minimally invasive procedures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation about clip typeVSAvoidease of differentiation
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The color coding is segmented into multiple distinct areas rather than applied uniformly. This allows the clip to convey multiple pieces of information (shape/size through overall color matching with permanent clips, and temporary status through the presence of multiple colored areas including lighter-colored regions).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Specific local areas are colored differently (with at least one lighter-colored area) to encode the temporary clip status, while other areas maintain colors that match corresponding permanent clips for shape and size identification. This local quality differentiation enables simultaneous conveyance of multiple information types.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4149370B1Medical clip and method for producing a medical implant
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 AESCULAP AG
  • EP4149370B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4149370B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5
  • EP4149370B1 patent drawingFigure 6~9

AI summary

The invention relates to a medical clip, more particularly in the form of an aneurysm clip, comprising two clamping arms and a preloading element, wherein the clamping arms are disposed or formed at respective free ends of the preloading element, wherein the two clamping arms lie against each other in a base position and can be moved away from each other into an open position against the action of the preloading element, and wherein at least one part of a surface of the clip is colored. In order to improve said medical clip such that clips can be safely distinguished, the clip defines at least three clip regions that are spatially separated from each other and the at least three clip regions are colored differently. The invention also relates to an improved clip system and to an improved method for safely distinguishing the clips.