Articulating RF Tissue Seal with State Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
During minimally invasive surgical procedures, surgeons face challenges in controlling and monitoring the articulation of medical instruments inserted through small incisions, leading to lack of visibility and potential injuries due to obscured line of sight and difficulty in determining the articulation angle of the end effector.
Innovation Solution
The surgical instrument features an articulation joint with a motorized switch mechanism and sensors that provide tactile and visual feedback to indicate maximum articulation angles, ensuring precise control and automatic reversion to a straight position upon removal, thereby enhancing user safety and instrument orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the end effector is inserted through a small incision for minimally invasive surgery, then patient trauma is reduced, but visibility and control of the end effector articulation are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms including tactile feedback through a switch that provides resistance when maximum articulation is reached, and visual feedback through indicators that show the current articulation angle. This allows the surgeon to control the articulation of the end effector precisely even though it is inserted through a small incision, resolving the contradiction between minimal patient trauma and ease of operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the end effector articulates at multiple angles to reach different tissue locations, then surgical versatility is improved, but determination of articulation angle becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms including visual indicators that display the current articulation angle and tactile feedback through a switch that provides resistance at maximum articulation angles. This allows the surgeon to precisely determine the articulation angle even when the end effector is articulated at multiple angles to reach different tissue locations, resolving the contradiction between surgical versatility and measurement precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the end effector is articulated to maximum angle during surgery, then access to difficult-to-reach tissue is improved, but risk of injury upon removal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by providing feedback mechanisms that alert the surgeon before the end effector reaches maximum articulation angle. The visual indicators and tactile feedback allow the surgeon to anticipate the articulation limit and plan the removal path in advance, preventing the end effector from being caught on tissue during removal. This resolves the contradiction between access to difficult-to-reach tissue and risk of injury upon removal.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument is presented that may include a handle assembly, a shaft assembly, an end effector and an articulation joint coupled to the shaft assembly and the end effector. The surgical instrument also may include an articulation control mechanism configured to: control movement of the articulation joint between a first and second maximum articulation angle; determine that the articulation joint has articulated to the first maximum articulation angle; provide a first indication that the articulation joint has articulated to the first maximum articulation angle; determine that the articulation joint has articulated to the second maximum articulation angle; and provide a second indication that the articulation joint has articulated to the second maximum articulation angle.