Surgical Applicator Curved Shaft Atraumatic Cap Fastener Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments for attaching hernia mesh to tissue lack accuracy and ease of use, particularly in small areas, and often require non-absorbable metal fasteners, which can cause foreign body accumulation.
Innovation Solution
A multi-fire applicator instrument with a curved shaft and atraumatic cap design that facilitates the precise delivery of surgical fasteners for mesh fixation, featuring a pair of flat stampings for incremental feeding and a wire staging spring for alignment, allowing for ergonomic handling and minimal friction during mesh attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional surgical instruments are used for mesh attachment, then the procedure can be completed, but accuracy and ease of use in small areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The applicator instrument employs a curved shaft design that allows the distal end to navigate and conform to the contours of the surgical site, enabling precise delivery of fasteners in confined and irregular anatomical spaces while maintaining ergonomic handling for the surgeon
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument incorporates a self-feeding mechanism with a wire staging spring that automatically advances and positions fasteners at the distal end, eliminating the need for manual alignment and ensuring consistent accurate placement without requiring additional surgeon manipulation
2Strength
If non-absorbable metal fasteners are used, then mesh fixation strength is improved, but foreign body accumulation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from non-absorbable metal fasteners to absorbable polymer fasteners, changing the material parameter from permanent to biodegradable. This maintains adequate fixation strength during the critical healing period while eliminating long-term foreign body accumulation as the fasteners naturally dissolve after tissue integration
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener employs a composite structure combining rigid elements for initial anchoring strength with biodegradable polymer materials that maintain mechanical integrity during healing then gradually degrade, achieving both strong fixation and reduced foreign body burden
3Reliability
If complex feeding mechanisms are used, then fastener delivery reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for complex supplemental valving mechanisms by using a simple wire staging spring that directly feeds fasteners through the shaft. This simplified feeding mechanism maintains reliable fastener delivery through elastic memory and progressive unwinding while significantly reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The wire staging spring serves as an intermediary element between the fastener stack and the delivery point, using its elastic properties to automatically advance and position fasteners without requiring complex mechanical feeders or valving systems, thus simplifying the overall instrument design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and efficient dispensing of surgical fasteners for hernia mesh fixation, reducing foreign body accumulation by using absorbable materials and improving ergonomic handling for surgeons, thus enhancing the precision and efficiency of hernia repair procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a wire staging spring attached to the guide member and having a distal end that contacts the staging leaf for applying a spring force for urging the staging leaf into alignment with the firing channel
Implementation Method 2
facilitating the accurate placement of surgical fasteners... featuring a pair of flat stampings for incremental feeding
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4A
AI summary
An applicator instrument for dispensing surgical fasteners includes a housing, a firing system disposed in the housing, an actuator coupled with the housing for actuating the firing system, an elongated shaft extending from the housing, the elongated shaft having an outer diameter, and a cap secured to the distal end of the elongated shaft, whereby the cap has a lower distal edge that extends laterally beyond the outer diameter of the elongated shaft. The lower distal edge of the cap has a length that is greater than the outer diameter of the elongated shaft. The cap has a distal end face that slopes upwardly and proximally from the lower distal edge, and the cap has a surgical fastener delivery window formed in the distal end face for dispensing surgical fasteners. The delivery window has a lower end that is spaced from the lower distal edge.