Cannula Guide Tube for Beating Heart Suture Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive cardiac surgical techniques face challenges in performing surgeries on a beating heart without direct or endoscopic visibility, particularly in the right atrium, due to blood obscuring the view and making precise suture placement around cardiac valves like the tricuspid valve difficult.
Innovation Solution
A suture placement system with a cannula and a minimally invasive suturing device that includes a follower mechanism and guide system, allowing for reliable suture placement through a cannula between the ribs and into the right atrium, even in zero visibility conditions, using a guide coupled to a plate with lumens and a snare system for precise stitch placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cannula is placed between the ribs and into the right atrium for minimally invasive surgery, then the surgical access is improved and recovery time is reduced, but blood obscures the surgeon's view of the right atrium and tricuspid valve tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide tube as an intermediary component that extends through the cannula into the right atrium. This guide tube serves as a stable reference structure that allows the suturing device to be positioned and oriented correctly without requiring direct visual observation of the internal cardiac structures. The guide tube acts as a mediator between the external surgical field and the internal cardiac environment, enabling precise suture placement through tactile and spatial guidance rather than visual feedback.
2Manufacturing precision
If automated suturing technology is used for placement of suture stitches through tissue and sewing cuffs, then suture placement precision is improved, but the complexity of the surgical system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the suturing system into distinct functional segments: a cannula for access, a guide tube for positioning, a suturing device for stitch placement, and a retrieval system for suture management. Each component performs a specific function and can be independently manipulated or replaced. This segmentation allows the complex task of automated suturing to be broken down into manageable steps, reducing the overall system complexity while maintaining precision through the specialized function of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tube serves as an intermediary structure that simplifies the interaction between the suturing device and the cardiac tissue. By providing a pre-positioned reference framework, the guide tube reduces the complexity of real-time navigation and positioning that would otherwise be required, allowing the suturing device to focus solely on the stitching action rather than simultaneous navigation and suturing.
3Reliability
If surgery is performed on a beating heart without CPB, then patient outcomes are improved, but the ability to place sutures reliably around cardiac valves is compromised due to lack of direct visualization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-positioning the guide tube through the cannula into the right atrium before suture placement. This guide tube is established as a stable reference structure in advance, creating a known spatial framework against which subsequent suture placements can be referenced. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for real-time visualization during the actual suturing process, allowing reliable suture placement on the beating heart without CPB.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tube acts as an intermediary reference structure that decouples the suturing action from the need for direct visualization. By providing a pre-established spatial framework, the guide tube allows the surgeon to place sutures reliably based on tactile feedback and predetermined geometry rather than visual confirmation, enabling beating heart surgery without compromising suture placement accuracy.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cannula (120), which is particularly used in conjunction with suture placement systems for use in minimally invasive surgeries, comprises a riser tube (128) having a proximal end and a distal end; and a circumferential organization template (122) at the proximal end of the riser tube (128). The riser tube (128) comprises a plurality of tube management grooves (124) positioned around the circumferential organization template (122); a plurality of suture channels (136) positioned around the circumferential organization template (122); and a plurality of suture pinching slots (134) positioned around the circumferential organization template (122).