Bent Chopper Vector Forces for Ultrasound-Free Cataract Fragmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cataract surgery methods using ultrasound and femtosecond laser cause direct and collateral damage to the eye, leading to inflammation, pain, and prolonged recovery due to the energy required for breaking and emulsifying cataracts.
Innovation Solution
A chopper apparatus with a bent chopping member at an angle of 110 degrees or less, providing refined vector forces, is used to break cataracts without the need for ultrasound or laser energy, allowing for ultrasound-free and laser-free cataract extraction, utilizing a vacuum-tip and proper vacuum settings for fragment removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ultrasound or femtosecond laser energy is used to break apart or emulsify the cataract, then the cataract can be effectively removed, but direct damage and collateral damage occur to the eye including killing endothelial cells and triggering inflammation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the ultrasonic and laser energy-based emulsification system with a purely mechanical chopper-based fragmentation system. The chopper apparatus uses mechanical leverage and vector forces applied through a bent member to divide the cataract nucleus into fragments, eliminating the need for high-energy ultrasound or laser that cause thermal and cavitation damage to surrounding ocular tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful ultrasonic and laser energy components from the cataract removal process. By isolating the essential function (breaking the cataract) and achieving it through mechanical means alone, the harmful energy fields are completely taken out of the system, preventing damage to endothelial cells and reduction of inflammatory response.
2Productivity
If ultrasound or laser machines are used during cataract surgery, then cataract fragmentation is achieved, but the equipment becomes large, heavy, and expensive limiting the number of surgeries that can be conducted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, heavy, and complex ultrasound/laser machines with a simple, lightweight, and inexpensive chopper apparatus that can be easily sterilized and reused. The mechanical chopper system eliminates the need for costly energy-generating equipment, making the surgical tool affordable and portable for any surgical setting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes complex electromechanical ultrasound generators and laser systems with a simple mechanical chopper tool that operates through manual manipulation. This mechanical substitution dramatically reduces equipment complexity, size, and cost while maintaining effective cataract fragmentation capability.
3Device complexity
If a straight chopper member is used, then the structure is simple, but refined vector forces cannot be introduced to break the cataract with ease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bend or curve in the chopper member, transforming it from a straight rigid structure to a curved lever arm. This curvature allows the surgeon to apply force at an optimal angle and distance from the fulcrum point, creating refined vector forces that efficiently transmit mechanical energy to fracture the cataract nucleus with minimal effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The bent chopper member creates dynamic mechanical advantage by allowing the surgeon to manipulate the tool with rotational and leverage motions. The curved geometry enables flexible application of force vectors that adapt to the three-dimensional structure of the cataract, making the breaking process easier and more effective compared to a rigid straight member.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed here is an apparatus and method for cataract surgery. The apparatus is an instrument referred to as a chopper that allows the reduction or elimination of ultrasound and/or laser energy introduced into the eye during cataract surgery. The chopper instrument is bent at an angle, such as an angle less than 110 degrees or less than 90 degrees, to provide a posterior (to anterior) chopping, and a wedge compression of the cataract. The bend in the chopper instrument, among other features, introduces refined vector forces that help in breaking/chopping the cataract with ease. The apparatus allows laser free/ultrasound free cataract extraction in dense cataracts. The chopper apparatus, a vacuum-tip and the proper vacuum settings, when used for performing a cataract surgery by a surgeon, allows the surgeon to break up the nucleus into small enough fragments that a true ultrasound-free/laser-free small incision cataract surgery can be accomplished with ease.