Angled Tissue Cutting Instrument with Rotatable Distal Tip
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing angled tissue cutting instruments have a fixed cutting window position relative to their bend, limiting access to anatomical tissue and requiring rotation of the entire instrument, which can compromise access and handpiece orientation, leading to potential anatomical trauma and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The angled tissue cutting instrument allows selective rotational indexing of the cutting window by relative movement between the distal end and elongate body, enabling variable positioning without rotating the entire instrument, using engagement structures to lock or unlock rotational positions, and an indexing tool for safe manual adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the cutting window is fixed relative to the bend in the outer member, then the instrument structure is simple and reliable, but the adaptability to access anatomical tissue from various directions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The distal tip is made rotatable relative to the elongate body about its longitudinal axis, transforming the fixed cutting window configuration into a dynamic, adjustable one. This allows the cutting window to be positioned at different angular orientations (e.g., 0°, 45°, 90°) relative to the bend without changing the bend's physical configuration, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If the entire instrument is rotated to position the cutting window facing the anatomical tissue, then the cutting window can access the tissue, but the handpiece orientation is compromised and anatomical trauma may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is divided into two independently rotatable segments: the elongate body (with the bend) and the distal tip (with the cutting window). The distal tip can be rotated independently about its longitudinal axis to orient the cutting window toward the anatomical tissue, while the elongate body and handpiece maintain their original orientation. This segmentation eliminates the need to rotate the entire instrument, thereby preventing anatomical trauma and maintaining handpiece accessibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the distal end is made rotatable relative to the elongate body, then the cutting window can be variably positioned, but the device complexity increases due to additional engagement structures
Solution Approach 1:
The distal tip is made rotatable relative to the elongate body about its longitudinal axis, transforming the fixed cutting window configuration into a dynamic, adjustable one. This allows the cutting window to be positioned at different angular orientations (e.g., 0°, 45°, 90°) relative to the bend without changing the bend's physical configuration, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining structural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
An angled tissue cutting instrument includes an outer member having an elongate body with a bend and a forward end, and a distal tip rotatably mounted on the forward end. The distal tip and body are rotatable relative to one another about a central longitudinal axis of the tip to variably position a cutting window of the tip in a selected directional position about the axis. Relative rotation between the distal tip and the body about the axis is prevented to lock the cutting window in a selected directional position when the outer member is maintained in a longitudinally extended position by an inner member of the instrument disposed within the outer member. An indexing tool for the angled tissue cutting instrument has a socket for receiving the distal tip to effect rotational indexing. A method of variably positioning a cutting window of an angled tissue cutting instrument involves rotationally indexing a distal tip of an outer member of the instrument and maintaining the distal tip in a selected rotationally indexed position.