Articulating Surgical Stapler End Effector with Crush Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical staplers lack the ability to efficiently and effectively access and treat tissues in complex anatomical regions, such as the liver, due to limited articulation and versatility in end effectors, which complicates procedures like liver resection.
Innovation Solution
The development of an articulating surgical stapling instrument with a shaft assembly and end effector that includes a pivotable anvil, staple cartridge, and crush surfaces, allowing for precise tissue severing and stapling in multiple planes, enabling better access and treatment of tissues within the body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional open surgical devices are used, then access to tissue is straightforward, but larger incisions increase post-operative recovery time and complications
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into modular components including a handle assembly, shaft assembly, and end effector that can be independently inserted through a trocar cannula. This segmentation enables minimally invasive access while maintaining full surgical functionality, resolving the contradiction between ease of tissue access and post-operative recovery time.
Solution Approach 2:
A trocar cannula serves as an intermediary structure that provides a controlled access pathway between the external environment and the surgical site. The end effector passes through this intermediary to reach target tissues, enabling minimally invasive surgery that reduces incision size while maintaining surgical capability.
2Ease of operation
If endoscopic surgical instruments with articulation joints are used, then positioning of the end effector is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector incorporates articulation joints that enable dynamic repositioning relative to the shaft assembly. This dynamic capability allows the end effector to be selectively articulated or deflected to access different anatomical regions while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure compared to fully robotic systems.
3Device complexity
If a single end effector design is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but versatility for different tissue types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector is designed with multi-functionality to handle various tissue types and surgical tasks. It incorporates a crush surface for compressing and severing tissue, a staple cartridge for ligating vessels, and an articulating anvil for forming staples. This universal design provides versatility without requiring multiple specialized instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple surgical functions are merged into a single end effector assembly, including crushing/severing capability, stapling capability, and articulation. This consolidation provides versatile tissue treatment options while maintaining device simplicity and reducing the number of separate instruments required.
4Device complexity
If traditional stapling without crushing function is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but ability to sever and ligate tissue simultaneously is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector merges crushing and stapling functions into a single integrated mechanism. The crush surface can sever tissue while the staple cartridge simultaneously ligates vessels, enabling combined tissue dissection and ligation in one operation to improve surgical productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stapling mechanism is designed with multi-functionality to perform both crushing/severing and stapling operations. This universal capability allows simultaneous tissue dissection and ligation, enhancing surgical efficiency without requiring separate instruments for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument includes a shaft assembly and an end effector extending from the shaft assembly along a jaw centerline. The end effector includes a first jaw and a second jaw. The first and second jaws are configured to transition between an open configuration and a closed configuration. The first jaw and the second jaw define a straight portion of the end effector and an arcuate portion of the end effector. The arcuate portion extends distally from the straight portion such that the arcuate portion of the end effector is configured to provide access to tissue within a patient for treatment. The first jaw has an anvil that is configured to form a plurality of staples pressed against the anvil.