Band Ligator Segmentation for Reliable Endoscopic Deployment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing band ligator devices face issues such as inability to deploy bands, misfire or premature deployment, and user errors due to complex setup, necessitating improvements in endoscopic variceal ligation procedures.
Innovation Solution
A band ligator system with a proximal end and distal end, featuring a band-mounting portion, ligating bands, and an actuator element, which can be deployed within a patient without an actuation instrument, and is assembled separately from the actuation instrument, allowing for deployment of ligating bands using a separate actuation instrument after delivery to the treatment site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the band ligator is pre-assembled with an actuation instrument, then the device is ready for immediate use, but the complexity of setup increases and user errors occur due to improper assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate components: a band ligator device for delivery and an actuation instrument for operation. This segmentation eliminates the complexity of pre-assembly while maintaining ease of use, as each component can be independently handled and assembled only when needed at the treatment site.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuation instrument is extracted from the band ligator device, allowing the band ligator to be delivered independently. This extraction removes the source of assembly errors while preserving the functional capability, as the actuation instrument can be separately introduced to operate the band ligator at the target location.
2Ease of operation
If the actuator element is accessible for direct user manipulation, then operation is simplified, but the risk of misfire or premature deployment increases
Solution Approach 1:
A separate actuation instrument serves as an intermediary between the user and the actuator element. This intermediary provides controlled access to the actuator, eliminating direct manipulation errors while maintaining operational simplicity. The actuation instrument acts as a mediator that translates user input into reliable actuator activation only when intended.
Solution Approach 2:
The band ligator is delivered to the treatment site in a pre-positioned state, but the actuation is performed only after proper positioning and verification. This preliminary delivery without immediate actuation prevents premature deployment while maintaining ease of operation, as the actuator remains accessible through the separate actuation instrument once the device is correctly positioned.
3Reliability
If the band ligator is delivered without an actuation instrument, then deployment failures are reduced, but the procedure requires separate instrument delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The separate actuation instrument is designed to be universally applicable to the band ligator device, allowing a single actuation instrument to operate multiple band ligators. This universality reduces the overall complexity of instrument delivery, as the same actuation mechanism can be used across different procedures and devices, while maintaining high deployment reliability through the separated design.
Data Source
AI summary
A band ligator which is mounted on an end of a delivery element, such as an elongate member, without the need to extend an actuator proximally for access by a user. Instead, after the band ligator is delivered to tissue to be ligated, a separate and independent actuation instrument may be advanced to the band ligator to actuate an actuator element thereof to deploy a ligating band.