Articulating Stapler with Crush Surfaces for Liver Tissue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical staplers lack the ability to efficiently and effectively staple and sever tissues, particularly in complex anatomical regions like the liver, where precise ligation and dissection of vessels are required, often necessitating multiple instruments and increasing procedural time and complexity.
Innovation Solution
The development of an articulating surgical stapling instrument with a dual-function end effector that combines staple cartridges and crush surfaces, allowing for the selective ligation and severance of vessels within the liver tissue, enabling a single instrument to perform both functions with improved precision and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional open surgical devices are used, then tissue stapling and severing can be performed, but incision size is large leading to longer recovery time and more complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional open surgical mechanical systems with an endoscopic system that uses a trocar and distal end effector. The stapling and severing functions are achieved through a minimally invasive endoscopic instrument with a shaft, handle portion, and articulation joints that enable precise positioning and tissue manipulation through small incisions.
2Measurement precision
If multiple instruments are used for ligation and dissection of vessels, then precise surgical control is achieved, but procedural time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple surgical functions (tissue clamping, stapling, and severing) into a single integrated endoscopic surgical instrument. The distal end effector incorporates both stapling mechanism and cutting capability, allowing the clinician to perform ligation and dissection of vessels with one instrument rather than multiple separate instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscopic surgical instrument is designed with multi-functional capabilities including tissue engagement, clamping, stapling, and severing through its distal end effector. The articulation joints and shaft design enable the single instrument to adapt to various surgical tasks that traditionally required multiple specialized instruments.
3Measurement precision
If endoscopic surgical instruments with articulation joints are used, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscopic instrument shaft is divided into multiple segments with articulation joints between them. These segmented sections can be independently articulated or deflected relative to the longitudinal axis, allowing precise positioning of the distal end effector through controlled movement of individual segments rather than requiring a single complex continuous mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for treating a patient includes a surgical instrument having a handle assembly, a shaft assembly, and an end effector. The end effector includes an upper jaw and a lower jaw configured to pivot to receive a tissue of the patient therebetween. The upper and lower jaws respectively have upper and lower crush surfaces, which extends generally parallel with a centerline and are configured to receive the tissue thereagainst. The upper jaw also includes an anvil, whereas the lower jaw includes a staple cartridge and a deck facing the anvil. In addition, the lower jaw has a plurality of staple opening formed through the deck with a plurality of staples received therein. The upper and lower crush surfaces are configured to compress the tissue therebetween with a crush pressure configured to sever the tissue along the upper and lower crush surfaces.