Bio-dissolvable Suture Needle Material Dynamics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Needles left inside patients during surgery result in extended hospital stays, additional anesthesia, potential reoperations, and malpractice risks due to miscounts and loss within the body cavity.
Innovation Solution
Development of bio-dissolvable suturing needles made from biodegradable materials like PLA, PLGA, or Magnesium, which can dissolve within the body if retained, eliminating the need for reoperations and reducing surgical complications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional non-dissolvable needles are used, then surgical procedure is simple and quick, but retained needles cause extended hospital stays, additional anesthesia, and potential reoperations
Solution Approach 1:
The needle material composition is changed from conventional non-dissolvable materials to bio-dissolvable materials such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), or their copolymers. This parameter change allows the needle to dissolve automatically in the body after serving its surgical purpose, eliminating the risk of retained needles causing extended hospital stays and reoperations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a disposable bio-dissolvable needle that is designed to be used once and then naturally decompose in the body. This approach eliminates the need for needle counting and retrieval procedures, as the needle automatically disappears after completing its function, thereby preventing the harmful effects of retained needles.
2Strength
If conventional non-dissolvable needles are used, then needle strength and durability are maintained, but miscounts and loss in body cavity lead to malpractice risks
Solution Approach 1:
The material parameters of the needle are changed to use bio-dissolvable materials that maintain sufficient structural strength during the surgical procedure but automatically dissolve afterward. This eliminates malpractice risks associated with retained needles, as the needle cannot be mistakenly left in the patient since it naturally decomposes and disappears.
Solution Approach 2:
The potential harm of a retained needle is converted into a benefit by designing the needle to automatically dissolve in the body. What would traditionally be a dangerous situation (retained needle) becomes a safe outcome (automatic dissolution), eliminating the need for complex needle counting and retrieval protocols.
3Reliability
If bio-dissolvable materials are used, then retained needles dissolve safely, but manufacturing complexity increases due to material selection and processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameters to use bio-dissolvable materials such as PLA, PGA, or their copolymers. These materials have well-established manufacturing processes and properties that balance dissolution characteristics with structural integrity, allowing for safe needle dissolution while maintaining manageable manufacturing complexity through proven material systems.
4Loss of time
If bio-dissolvable needles are used, then reoperations are eliminated, but needle material must maintain strength during surgery then dissolve afterward
Solution Approach 1:
The needle material exhibits dynamic properties, maintaining high structural strength during the surgical procedure when needed, then automatically transitioning to a dissolving state afterward. This dynamic behavior ensures the needle is strong enough for surgery but eliminates the need for reoperation by naturally decomposing when its function is complete.
Solution Approach 2:
The material parameters are specifically selected to provide a time-dependent property change: high strength and stability during the surgical procedure, followed by controlled dissolution in the body. This parameter optimization allows the needle to fulfill both requirements of maintaining strength during use and eliminating the need for reoperation through automatic dissolution.
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
The bio-dissolvable needles prevent foreign bodies in patients, reduce anesthetic time, and minimize malpractice risks by dissolving safely within the body, thereby avoiding unnecessary procedures and complications.
Implementation Method 1
bio-dissolvable suturing needles made from biodegradable materials like PLA, PLGA, or Magnesium, which can dissolve within the body if retained
Implementation Method 2
cooling the mold until the bio-dissolvable suture needle solidifies
Data Source
AI summary
A suturing needle which is dissolvable if left within subcutaneous tissue or within a human body cavity (i.e., bio-dissolvable, bioabsorbable, or bioresorbable). A bio-dissolvable suturing needle can have a tip and a base, and the base can be connected to suturing thread, such that if the bio-dissolvable suturing needle is inadvertently left in a patient, the needle will dissolve without the need to perform an additional surgery or operation on the patient.