Bending Instrument for Surgical Dilation Guide
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current dilation instruments for anatomical passageways lack a reliable method to consistently achieve and maintain specific bend angles in malleable guides, which is crucial for precise positioning during procedures like sinus dilation, leading to potential misalignment and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A dilation instrument system that includes a malleable guide member and a bending instrument with a grounding member and actuator, allowing for precise bending and locking of the guide member to achieve consistent bend angles, along with indicators for visual confirmation of the desired angle, ensuring accurate positioning within anatomical passageways.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a malleable guide member is used in dilation instruments, then the instrument can be positioned in anatomical passageways requiring bending, but the bend angle cannot be consistently achieved or maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The bending instrument allows the malleable guide member to be pre-bent to a specific angle before insertion into the anatomical passageway. The actuator is positioned and adjusted in advance to achieve the desired bend angle, ensuring consistent positioning capability while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual manipulation and estimation of bend angles with a mechanical actuator system that provides controlled, repeatable bending. The actuator mechanism substitutes for operator skill and judgment, delivering consistent bend angles through mechanical precision.
2Productivity
If manual bending of the malleable guide is performed, then the instrument can be quickly prepared, but the bend angle precision and consistency are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The manual bending process is replaced with a mechanical actuator system that automatically positions and bends the malleable guide member to the precise angle. This mechanical substitution maintains quick preparation time while eliminating the imprecision of manual manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator system allows for precise control of the bend angle parameter, enabling consistent reproduction of specific angles. The mechanical system transforms the variable, imprecise manual bending into a controlled, parameter-based process with repeatable results.
3Ease of operation
If the actuator is positioned away from the malleable guide, then the bending mechanism has more space to operate, but the control precision over the bend angle decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is positioned at a specific location optimized for both operational ease and control precision. The grounding member and actuator configuration creates a local mechanical advantage that provides precise control over the bend angle while maintaining sufficient operating space.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator mechanism serves multiple functions: it provides the bending force, controls the bend angle precision, and maintains positioning flexibility. This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by integrating space requirements with control precision in a single mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a grounding member and an actuator. The grounding member includes a first grounding feature and a bending channel. The first grounding feature is configured to engage a dilation instrument. The bending channel is configured to receive a malleable member of the dilation instrument. The actuator is pivotably coupled with the grounding member. The actuator has a bearing surface. The bearing surface is configured to cooperate with the bending channel to thereby bend the malleable member of the dilation instrument as the actuator is pivoted relative to the grounding member.