Calculus Crushing Device With Escape Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing calculus crushing devices face issues where the basket wire gets caught between the distal-end tip and the calculus, preventing effective force transmission and leading to potential plastic deformation of the wires due to friction.
Innovation Solution
A calculus crushing device with a tubular sheath featuring escape grooves that allow the basket wires to pass through, combined with bipolar electrodes positioned radially outward and between these grooves, which apply shock waves to facilitate calculus crushing without significant tensile force on the wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the basket wire is made to protrude from the distal-end tip, then the calculus can be grasped and crushed, but the basket wire gets caught between the distal-end tip and the calculus, preventing force transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The distal-end tip is segmented into multiple functional regions: escape grooves for wire passage, electrode placement areas for shock application, and crushing surfaces for force transmission. This segmentation allows the basket wire to pass through without getting caught while maintaining effective calculus crushing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The escape groove acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates the basket wire's movement through the distal-end tip without direct contact between the wire and the crushing surface. This mediator prevents wire entrapment while allowing force transmission to the calculus through the electrode and crushing surface.
2Ease of operation
If the basket wire is made to protrude from the distal-end tip, then the calculus can be grasped, but the wire undergoes plastic deformation due to friction
Solution Approach 1:
The escape groove serves as a mediator that reduces direct friction between the basket wire and the distal-end tip. By providing a dedicated passage way, the groove minimizes contact friction that would otherwise cause plastic deformation of the wire during repeated use.
Solution Approach 2:
The escape groove can be designed with smooth, flexible walls that allow the basket wire to pass through with minimal friction. The groove's geometry and material properties are optimized to prevent wire deformation while maintaining structural integrity.
3Power
If bipolar electrodes are disposed at the distal end of the sheath, then shock can be applied to the calculus, but the electrodes may interfere with the escape grooves
Solution Approach 1:
The distal-end tip is divided into distinct functional zones: escape grooves for wire passage and electrode placement areas for shock application. This spatial segmentation ensures that electrodes and escape grooves do not interfere with each other, allowing both functions to operate simultaneously without conflict.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the distal-end tip are given different local qualities: escape grooves have smooth, wire-friendly surfaces, while electrode areas have properties optimized for shock application. This local differentiation allows each component to perform its function optimally without interfering with the other.
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
Enables efficient crushing of calculi with reduced tensile force on the wires, preventing plastic deformation and allowing for effective calculus fragmentation without wire entrapment, enhancing the device's ability to handle multiple calculi.
Implementation Method 1
a bipolar electrode that is disposed at a distal end of the sheath and that applies a shock to a processing target grasped by the grasping part
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes: a sheath; an operating wire disposed inside the sheath; a grasping part that is provided at a distal end of the operating wire and that has one or more wires; and a bipolar electrode disposed at a distal end of the sheath. The sheath has, at intervals in the circumferential direction, escape grooves that extend from the distal end toward a proximal end of the sheath, that penetrate from an inner circumferential surface to an outer circumferential surface thereof, and that have such dimensions as to allow the wires to pass therethrough. The bipolar electrode is disposed at a position shifted radially outward from the central axis and at a position between two of the escape grooves in the circumferential direction. The distal end of the bipolar electrode is positioned closer to distal ends of the escape grooves than to proximal ends of the escape grooves.