Barbless Lifting Thread Sheath Guidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lifting surgical instruments using threads with cogs or barbs face issues such as insufficient fastening force, discomfort, aesthetic problems due to multiple insertion holes, unintentional tissue lifting, damage to cogs or barbs leading to uneven lifting, and patient pain from sharp ends.
Innovation Solution
A lifting surgical instrument with a branch point that forms a thread without cogs or barbs in a ring shape under the skin, using a sheath as a branch point and an indicator to guide the needle's path, ensuring the thread is formed accurately and held at a desired location for lifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If threads with cogs or barbs are used to provide fastening force, then lifting effectiveness is improved, but patient discomfort and foreign body sensation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the harmful cogs and barbs from the thread structure while maintaining the lifting function through an alternative mechanism. The thread is inserted through a needle and secured at subcutaneous tissue anchor points without requiring protruding fastening elements, thereby eliminating patient discomfort and foreign body sensation while still achieving tissue lifting.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of thread structure from having protruding cogs/barbs to being smooth and barbless. This parameter change transforms the thread from a mechanical interlocking system to a tension-based lifting system, reducing patient discomfort while maintaining lifting effectiveness through proper thread routing and anchoring.
2Strength
If multiple threads are inserted to increase fastening force, then lifting effectiveness is improved, but the number of insertion holes and scars increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple thread insertions into a single integrated system where threads are routed through a common needle and secured at shared subcutaneous anchor points. This merging approach allows multiple threads to work together to provide sufficient fastening force while minimizing the number of visible insertion holes and scars on the patient's skin.
3Strength
If cogs or barbs are formed on the thread to provide fastening force, then lifting capability is improved, but the structure becomes more complex and difficult to manufacture
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex cog and barb structures from the thread design, simplifying the manufacturing process. The thread is produced as a smooth, uniform structure without requiring additional forming steps for protruding fastening elements, thereby improving ease of manufacture while maintaining lifting effectiveness through the needle-guided insertion and subcutaneous anchoring system.
4Ease of operation
If a needle is used to insert the thread directly through the skin, then the insertion process is simplified, but the needle path cannot be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a sheath as an intermediary device that guides the needle through the skin and subcutaneous tissue. The sheath provides a controlled pathway that ensures precise needle trajectory and accurate placement of thread anchor points, while still maintaining ease of operation through the integrated needle-sheath system. The sheath acts as a mediator between the simple insertion action and the precise positioning requirement.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a lifting surgical instrument having a branch point, which is used to insert a thread without a cog and a barb into the skin. The lifting surgical instrument includes a sheath, including: a probe part formed in the tubular shape in which a through hole penetrating in a longitudinal direction is formed, and configured such that the front end thereof may be inserted into the skin; and a body configured to extend from the rear end of the probe part, to have a diameter larger than that of the through hole, to communicate with the through hole, and to include a sheath hole. In this case, a direction guidance portion is provided on the inner surface of the probe part, and the angle at which the needle travels is changed via the direction guidance portion when the needle passes through the through hole.