Circular Needle Applier with Articulating Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical suturing methods, both manual and automated, face challenges in efficiency and precision, particularly in minimally invasive surgeries, where traditional suturing devices are cumbersome and lack the ability to articulate and rotate needles effectively for smooth tissue suturing.
Innovation Solution
A surgical suturing device featuring an elongate shaft with a circular needle applier that articulates and rotates, driven by a manual or robotic actuator, allowing for precise suturing with a disposable or reusable cartridge system that includes a needle driver and transmission mechanism for efficient needle movement in a circular path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional manual or automated suturing devices are used, then the suturing process can be performed, but the devices are cumbersome and lack articulation capability, reducing efficiency and precision
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a reusable shaft assembly and a disposable cartridge assembly, allowing the complex articulation and rotation mechanisms to be contained in the reusable portion while keeping the disposable portion simple. This segmentation enables sophisticated needle manipulation capabilities without making the entire device prohibitively complex or expensive.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft assembly incorporates articulation joints that allow the shaft to bend at multiple angles, and the needle applier can rotate independently. These dynamic capabilities enable the device to navigate around anatomical structures and position the needle precisely, significantly improving suturing efficiency and access to difficult areas.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional linear needle movement is used, then the suturing device is simple, but it cannot achieve smooth tissue suturing or effective needle rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is designed with a curved geometry rather than a straight configuration, allowing it to follow a circular path during insertion. This curved needle design, combined with the rotational capability of the applier, enables smooth tissue suturing by distributing the cutting force along a curved trajectory rather than a linear path, improving precision while maintaining manageable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from simple linear needle movement to multi-dimensional motion by incorporating rotation of the needle applier around the longitudinal axis of the shaft, in addition to articulation in multiple planes. This adds rotational and angular dimensions to the needle delivery mechanism, enabling precise positioning and smooth tissue interaction without excessive complexity.
3Loss of time
If reusable components are implemented, then procedural time is reduced and surgical outcomes improve, but the initial device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the device into reusable and disposable portions, the expensive components with long-term value (shaft with articulation and rotation mechanisms) can be manufactured once and reused, while the disposable cartridge is mass-produced at lower cost. This allows procedural time to be reduced through reusable components without making the entire device prohibitively expensive.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable cartridge is discarded after a single use, while the expensive shaft assembly is recovered and reused for multiple procedures. This strategy allows the high-cost reusable components to amortize their manufacturing cost over many uses, reducing procedural time across multiple surgeries while keeping the per-procedure cost manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical suturing device has an elongate shaft has a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis between the proximal and distal ends. An actuator is connected to the proximal end of the elongate shaft. A circular needle applier is on the distal end of the elongate shaft. The circular needle applier has an arced needle and a needle driver operatively connected to the actuator to rotate the arced needle in a circular path. A joint is positioned between the proximal and distal ends of the elongate shaft. The joint is operatively connected to the actuator to selectively articulate the shaft. A bearing is on the shaft positioned distally of the joint. The bearing is operatively connected to the actuator to selectively rotate the circular needle applier about the longitudinal axis.