Bone Marrow Core Drill Tip for Single-Entry Tissue Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for harvesting bone marrow are inefficient, labor-intensive, and cause pain due to multiple punctures, and existing devices lack the ability to collect marrow by coring while preserving stem cell concentration and are prone to breakage.
Innovation Solution
A cutting tip with a shaft that allows for both coring and aspiration, featuring a rigid or flexible design with articulating sections and a distal shaving tip for safe and efficient collection of bone marrow from a single entry point.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If aspiration method is used to harvest bone marrow, then bone marrow can be collected, but stem cells are diluted with blood and other components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a coring mechanism that physically removes a core of bone marrow tissue in an undisturbed state, analogous to extracting a core sample. This preserves the natural concentration gradient and cellular distribution within the marrow, preventing dilution with surrounding blood and fluids that occurs during aspiration. The core drill removes a cylindrical section of marrow intact, maintaining high stem cell concentration at the collection point.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple punctures are made to collect sufficient marrow volume, then adequate stem cells can be harvested, but procedure time increases and patient pain increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting head is divided into distinct functional segments: a core drill portion for removing bone marrow cores, aspiration ports for fluid extraction, and a flexible shaft with articulating sections. This segmentation allows the single instrument to perform multiple functions (coring and aspiration) that previously required separate procedures or multiple puncture sites, enabling sufficient marrow collection from one entry point.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting head combines coring and aspiration capabilities in a single device. The core drill removes solid marrow cores while aspiration ports simultaneously or sequentially extract liquid marrow components. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple separate punctures or instrument changes, reducing procedure time and patient discomfort while maintaining adequate stem cell harvest volume.
3Ease of operation
If flexible needle is used to access different locations, then single entry point is achieved, but needle is prone to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting head employs a composite construction combining a flexible outer shaft with an inner core drill structure. The flexible shaft allows articulation and navigation through bone cavities from a single entry point, while the inner core drill provides structural rigidity and resistance to breakage. This composite design integrates the advantages of both flexibility and strength in a single unified instrument.
Solution Approach 2:
The core drill is nested within the flexible shaft structure. The inner core drill component is housed within the outer flexible shaft, allowing the rigid cutting element to benefit from the protective and flexible enclosure. This nested configuration enables the rigid core drill to maintain its strength while the outer flexible shaft provides articulation capability, preventing breakage during navigation.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If uniform flexible needle is used, then flexibility is achieved, but control over bending location is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft incorporates articulating sections at specific locations rather than being uniformly flexible throughout. These localized articulating joints are positioned to allow bending at predetermined points, providing controlled flexibility where needed while maintaining rigidity in other sections. This enables the operator to control where bending occurs, improving predictability and ease of operation during the procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument for collecting tissue from a body cavity includes a hollow tubular body. The tubular body has a tubular wall that extends between a proximal-most end and a distal-most end of the tubular body. The tubular wall surrounds a passage that extends to the distal end portion of the tubular body. The tubular body can be a non-bending shaft, or a shaft having an articulating section that allows a portion of the tubular body to articulate relative to the proximal end portion. The distal end portion includes a core drill with a cutting tip. The cutting tip defines a first aperture, a second aperture opposite the first aperture, and a web extending between the first aperture and the second aperture. The web tapers to a drill point at the distal-most end of the tubular body.