Articulating Stabilizer Arm With Disposable Links for Easier Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenging and time-consuming process of sterilizing articulating links in conventional stabilizer arms, which are typically reusable, is exacerbated by the need to spread them apart for cleaning, leading to high disposal costs when fully disposable arms are used.
Innovation Solution
A stabilizer arm design with a reusable base portion and a disposable arm portion, where the articulating links are part of the disposable portion, eliminating the need for cleaning between links, and featuring a mechanism to couple and uncouple easily with a reusable subassembly, allowing for a modular system with improved customization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the stabilizer arm is made fully reusable with articulating links, then the device can be sterilized and reused, but the sterilization process becomes time-consuming and complex requiring spreading links apart for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer arm is divided into two separate subassemblies: a reusable subassembly containing the base portion and a disposable subassembly containing the articulating links. This segmentation allows the reusable portion to be sterilized without the complexity of cleaning nested links, while the disposable portion is discarded after single use, eliminating time-consuming sterilization of the links.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulating links are designed as a disposable subassembly that is discarded after a single use rather than being sterilized and reused. This eliminates the time-consuming process of spreading and cleaning the links, while the reusable base portion can be sterilized and reused multiple times.
2Loss of time
If the entire stabilizer arm is made disposable to avoid sterilization efforts, then sterilization time is reduced, but the cost increases due to discarding the entire arm
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer arm is segmented into reusable and disposable portions. Only the disposable subassembly (articulating links) is discarded after single use, while the reusable subassembly (base portion) is retained and sterilized for subsequent uses. This reduces costs compared to discarding the entire arm while still eliminating the need to sterilize the complex link mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable subassembly is discarded after single use, while the reusable subassembly is recovered and sterilized for repeated use. This selective discarding and recovery approach reduces overall costs by preserving the expensive base portion while eliminating the need to sterilize the disposable links.
3Volume of moving object
If the articulating links are nested together for compact storage, then space is saved, but cleaning between links becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The articulating links are segmented into a separate disposable subassembly that is discarded after single use. This eliminates the need to clean between nested links, as the entire disposable portion is replaced rather than sterilized. The reusable base portion does not contain the nested link mechanism, simplifying its sterilization process.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical stabilizer arm includes a reusable base portion and a disposable arm portion. The articulating links that enable the arm to be positioned into arbitrary trajectories are included the disposable portion, thus eliminating the need to clean between the links after a surgical procedure. The disposable portion also includes a tool attachment mechanism and a cable. The reusable portion includes a retractor clamping mechanism, a top plate, a T-shaped base post, a main body, a nosepiece, a threaded drawbar, a thrust bearing assembly, and a threaded handle that can extend or retract the drawbar when rotated. The threaded drawbar may include a slot into which an end of the cable can be inserted, which allows tension to be applied to the cable when the handle is rotated to pull the drawbar into the body of the reusable portion and lock the articulating links in place.