Bifurcated Jaw End Effector for Tissue Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy procedures face challenges in efficiently treating and removing enlarged tonsil tissue, which can cause airway obstruction and persistent infections, often requiring invasive methods and risking complications like sleep disorders.
Innovation Solution
The development of an end effector assembly with bifurcated jaw members and tissue-treating plates that can grasp, energize, and separate tissue by rotating or moving laterally, allowing for precise energy application and tissue cutting, facilitating the removal of tonsil and adenoid tissue while minimizing tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional surgical instruments are used for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, then tissue removal can be achieved, but the procedures are invasive and carry risks of complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical cutting instruments with an end effector assembly that uses electrical energy to treat and remove tissue. The tissue-treating plates deliver electrical current to ablate and separate tonsil and adenoid tissue, eliminating the need for invasive mechanical instruments and reducing surgical complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of tissue removal from mechanical force to electrical energy. By controlling electrical current parameters through the tissue-treating plates, the system achieves precise tissue treatment with minimal damage, improving surgical safety and reducing harmful effects.
2Ease of operation
If enlarged tonsil tissue is removed to treat airway obstruction, then sleep disorders can be addressed, but the procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: jaw members for grasping, tissue-treating plates for energy delivery, and a rotatable component for tissue separation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall operation while managing the complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The end effector assembly integrates multiple functions into a single device: grasping tissue with jaw members, delivering electrical energy through tissue-treating plates, and separating treated tissue through rotation. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate instruments, simplifying the surgical procedure despite the inherent complexity of the integrated system.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise energy application is used to treat tissue, then tissue damage is minimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue-treating plates are designed with specific local properties to deliver electrical energy precisely where needed. The plates make contact only with the target tissue, allowing controlled energy application at the treatment site while minimizing spread to surrounding healthy tissue. This local quality approach achieves precision without requiring complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue-treating plates serve as intermediaries between the electrical energy source and the target tissue. These plates conduct and distribute electrical current evenly across the tissue surface, enabling precise energy application. The plates act as a mediator that translates electrical energy into controlled thermal or ablation effects, achieving precision while distributing the complexity of energy delivery across the plate structure.
4Measurement precision
If bifurcated jaw members are used to grasp tissue, then tissue handling precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw members are bifurcated into multiple components that can independently grasp different portions of the tissue. This segmentation allows precise control over which parts of the tissue are held and treated, improving precision for tonsil and adenoid removal while managing complexity through modular jaw construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The bifurcated jaw members are designed to be movable and adaptable, allowing dynamic adjustment during the procedure. The jaw components can move independently to accommodate varying tissue configurations, providing precise grasping control. This dynamic capability achieves high precision without requiring a completely rigid and complex static structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables efficient and precise treatment and removal of tonsil and adenoid tissue, reducing the risk of complications and improving surgical outcomes by providing a method for effective tissue grasping, energizing, and separation, thus addressing the challenges of airway obstruction and persistent infections.
Implementation Method 1
energizing the tissue-treating plates of the first and second jaw members for conducting energy through grasped tissue to treat grasped tissue
Data Source
AI summary
A method of surgery includes grasping tissue between tissue-treating plates of first and second jaw members. One or both of the jaw members includes a bifurcated body having first and second jaw components. Each jaw component includes a tissue-treating plate portion disposed thereon. The tissue-treating plate portions cooperate to define the tissue-treating plate of the jaw member. The method further includes energizing the tissue-treating plates of the first and second jaw members for conducting energy through grasped tissue to treat grasped tissue and separating grasped and treated tissue by rotating at least one of the first and second jaw components of the at least one jaw member relative to the other from an aligned orientation, wherein the tissue-treating plate portions are substantially co-planar relative to one another, to an angled orientation, wherein the tissue-treating plate portions are angled relative to one another.