Disposable Cartilage Cutter with Adjustable Guide Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical cutting devices for producing thin cartilage slices require multiple sterile spacer plates of specific thicknesses, which are cumbersome to handle and logistically challenging to manage, especially in high-volume ENT clinics, where ensuring sterility and correct insertion are time-consuming and error-prone.
Innovation Solution
The device incorporates multiple holding devices with adjustable guide slots for cutting blades, allowing for production of cartilage slices of different thicknesses without spacers, featuring a compact design, sterilizable plastic construction, and ergonomic markings for easy operation, reducing the need for spacer plates and simplifying handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple sterile spacer plates of specific thicknesses are used to produce cartilage slices of different thicknesses, then the thickness precision is improved, but the device complexity and logistical burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device body is segmented into multiple holding devices (first, second, third holding devices), each with its own depression and guide slot configured for a specific slice thickness. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for a particular thickness requirement, eliminating the need for separate spacer plates while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting device is designed as a universal tool that can produce cartilage slices of multiple different thicknesses (e.g., 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm) using a single integrated device body with multiple holding devices. Each holding device serves a specific thickness function, but collectively they provide multi-functionality, replacing the need for multiple separate spacer plates.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple spacer plates are used to achieve different slice thicknesses, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to handling difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple holding devices that were previously separate spacer plates are merged into a single integrated device body. The first, second, and third holding devices are all incorporated into one device with a common cover and base, eliminating the need to handle multiple separate components. This merging improves ease of operation while maintaining the ability to produce slices of different thicknesses.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple spacer plates are used to produce different thicknesses, then the adaptability is improved, but the loss of time increases due to cleaning and sterilization requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting device is constructed from sterilizable plastic materials that can be easily sterilized as a single unit. The integrated design with multiple holding devices allows the entire assembly to be sterilized together rather than requiring separate sterilization of multiple spacer plates, reducing the time and complexity of sterilization procedures while maintaining adaptability for different slice thicknesses.
Data Source
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AI summary
A medical cutting device (10) made of a sterilizable material for producing thin cartilage discs, comprising a device body (11) and a cover (12), includes several holding devices, each having a section (11a, 11b, 11c) with a recess (13a, 13b, 13c) arranged on the top of the device body, which is completely or partially surrounded by a limiting rib (14a, 14b, 14c) and can be closed by a projection (19a, 19b, 19c) arranged on the top of the cover, wherein the lateral limiting rib has a guide slot (17a, 17b, 17c) extending from an end face of the section and running parallel to the base of the respective recess at a predetermined distance that varies for each section, for inserting a cutting blade (18).This allows thin cartilage discs of specific different thicknesses to be produced in consistent quality, even without the use of the known spacer plates.