Button Release Handle for Medical Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical and surgical instruments for minimally-invasive procedures face challenges in efficiently manipulating and securely holding elongate medical devices like baskets, snares, and forceps, particularly in reducing the size for insertion through small body spaces while ensuring secure engagement and easy removal.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a handle with a slidable core and collet mechanism, featuring a ramp surface and biased arms that adjust to minimize the opening size for insertion and maximize it for removal, utilizing a button-operated system to control the core's movement within the housing, ensuring secure engagement and easy manipulation of the medical devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the medical device is designed with a small diameter for insertion through body spaces, then the device can be inserted through limited size openings, but the device becomes difficult to manipulate and control during the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The medical device is divided into separate functional components: a long flexible shaft for insertion through small openings, and a separate handle assembly with control mechanisms. This segmentation allows the shaft to remain thin for minimally invasive insertion while the handle provides ergonomic manipulation controls.
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible wire or cable acts as an intermediary between the handle controls and the distal end of the medical device. This wire transmits mechanical forces and movements from the operator's hand through the handle mechanisms to the working end of the device, enabling precise control despite the device's small diameter.
2Reliability
If the device uses a locking mechanism to securely hold the medical device, then secure engagement is achieved, but the mechanism becomes complex and difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a complex active locking mechanism that requires multiple steps to engage and disengage, the design uses a passive retention system where the medical device is held by default position and released by a simple button actuation. The button releases a latch that allows the device to be easily removed, inverting the traditional approach of active locking to passive retention with simple release.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking function is extracted from the main body of the handle and concentrated into a separate, simple button mechanism. This button independently controls the release of the medical device without requiring complex integration with other handle functions, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining secure engagement during use.
3Extent of automation
If the device uses a resilient element to bias the slide for locking, then automatic engagement is achieved, but the mechanism becomes more complex with additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient element and slide mechanism are merged into a compact integrated assembly within the handle. The spring-loaded slide automatically engages with the medical device upon insertion and is released by a single button action, combining multiple functions (retention, automatic engagement, and controlled release) into one unified mechanism that minimizes component count.
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 allows for efficient insertion and secure retention of medical devices through small openings, while enabling easy removal and manipulation, enhancing the usability and effectiveness of medical instruments in minimally-invasive procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient element biasing the slide distally to push the locking jaws distally out of an opening
Implementation Method 2
a plunger retained pivotally on the shaft control is provided with a wedge configured to engage a groove on the slider
Implementation Method 3
The button includes an inclined surface that slidably engages the ramp surface, wherein engagement of the ramp and inclined surfaces establishes a normal position of the core within the housing
Data Source
Figure 1~1b
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A handle for receiving an elongate medical device is provided. The handle includes a housing defining an elongate hollow interior portion, the hollow portion defining a first portion proximate the distal end and the aperture, a second portion. A core is slidably disposed within the interior portion and includes a ramp portion extending from an outer surface of the core at an oblique angle to the longitudinal axis, and two or more arms extending outwardly from a proximal end of the core and biased toward an extended configuration where a proximal end of each arm extends radially outside of an outer surface of the core, wherein the two or more arms combine to define the proximal opening. A button is movably disposed within the aperture substantially blocking communication with the hollow portion through the aperture, comprising an inclined surface that slidably engages the ramp surface.