Bendable Trocar with Blunt Tip and Reduced Diameter Midsection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Trocars used to insert wound drain catheters often face challenges such as difficulty in maintaining a secure connection with the catheter, risk of tissue damage due to sharp tips, and difficulty in navigating through body tissue without hitting solid structures or sensitive organs, leading to potential infection and repeated procedure needs.
Innovation Solution
A trocar design featuring an elongated shaft with a tapered blunt tip, a reduced diameter midsection for flexibility, and a connector for secure catheter attachment, allowing for safe and precise placement of wound drain catheters while minimizing tissue damage and ensuring reliable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a sharpened tip is used to pass through body tissue, then the trocar can penetrate tissue and skin effectively, but the risk of injuring sensitive tissues such as vessels and nerves increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional sharp tip design by using a blunt tip that still achieves effective tissue penetration through controlled mechanical displacement rather than cutting. The blunt tip pushes tissue aside rather than cutting through it, maintaining penetration capability while eliminating the harmful cutting action that damages sensitive tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of a blunt tip (difficulty penetrating tissue) into a benefit by designing a specific blunt tip geometry that facilitates tissue displacement. The blunt tip's rounded shape and appropriate dimensions allow it to effectively push through tissue planes while naturally avoiding cutting into vessels or nerves, thus converting the limitation into a safety feature.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a bendable trocar is used to navigate through body tissue, then the trocar can be manipulated to avoid solid structures and organs, but the connection between the trocar and wound drain catheter may separate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the trocar into distinct functional zones: a rigid proximal section for stable connection and manipulation, a flexible midsection for bending and navigation, and a distal section for catheter attachment. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall system integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by giving different mechanical properties to different parts of the trocar. The proximal portion is made rigid for stable handling and connection, while the distal portion incorporates flexibility for navigation, with a transition zone providing gradual property change. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction between manipulability and connection stability.
3Manufacturing precision
If a rigid trocar is used to maintain structural integrity, then the trocar can be manufactured with precision, but the difficulty of passing through body tissue without hitting solid structures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the trocar partially flexible rather than completely rigid. The controlled flexibility allows the trocar to adapt its shape during insertion to follow tissue planes and avoid solid structures, while the rigid sections maintain manufacturing precision and structural integrity for connection points and critical dimensions.
Data Source
AI summary
A trocar includes a shaft having a leading section, a trailing section, a reduced diameter midsection located between the leading and trailing sections, and a longitudinal axis extending along the length of the shaft. The leading section of the shaft has a tapered region that terminates at a blunt tip. The trailing section of the shaft has a connector located at the trailing end thereof. The leading and trailing sections of the shaft having a first diameter and the reduced diameter midsection of the shaft has a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter for enabling the shaft to be bent at the reduced diameter midsection. A flexible wound drain catheter having a first end is secured to the connector at the trailing end of the trailing section of the shaft. The flexible wound drain catheter has an outer diameter that matches the first diameter of the leading and trailing sections of the shaft.