Circular Needle Applier Cleat Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical suturing methods, both manual and automated, face challenges in efficiently and accurately suturing tissues during procedures like endoscopic, laparoscopic, or arthroscopic surgeries, as they often require manual handling and lack a reliable mechanism to prevent needle rotation in the opposite direction during suturing.
Innovation Solution
A surgical suturing device featuring an arced needle with a needle driver that rotates the needle in a circular path, utilizing a cleat mechanism to prevent rotation in the opposite direction, and a cartridge system with a track and cover design that captures and releases the needle for precise suturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual suturing is performed using fine graspers to hold and manipulate the needle, then the surgeon can control the needle placement, but the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The needle driver is designed to automatically grasp, rotate, and release the needle without requiring continuous manual manipulation. The self-grasping mechanism with opposing fingers automatically engages the needle groove, and the spring-loaded system provides automatic needle advancement and release, eliminating the need for sustained manual effort while maintaining control.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle driver incorporates a rotating mechanism that dynamically transitions the needle through different orientations during the suturing process. The driver rotates the needle approximately 180 degrees during the drive stroke and returns it to the original orientation during the return stroke, enabling automated needle passage through tissue without manual repositioning.
2Measurement precision
If the needle is allowed to rotate freely in both directions during suturing, then the needle can be manipulated flexibly, but the needle may rotate in the wrong direction causing imprecise suturing
Solution Approach 1:
The needle driver features asymmetric finger configuration with a first finger and a second finger positioned at different locations and orientations. This asymmetric arrangement, combined with the directional groove in the needle, ensures unidirectional rotation control. The groove geometry and finger positioning work together to permit rotation only in the intended direction while preventing reverse rotation, achieving precise control without complex mechanical constraints.
3Productivity
If automated needle rotation is implemented, then suturing speed increases, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The needle driver utilizes a curved or arcuate path for needle rotation, with the needle traveling along a circular or arc-shaped trajectory during the suturing process. This curved motion path simplifies the mechanical design by using natural rotational geometry rather than complex linear actuation systems, enabling automated rotation while maintaining mechanical simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle driver combines multiple functions into a single integrated mechanism: grasping the needle, rotating it along the circular path, advancing it through tissue, and releasing it. The opposing fingers, spring mechanism, and rotational motion are merged into one unified device that performs all these operations simultaneously, reducing the need for separate components and simplifying the overall system.
4Reliability
If the needle is captured in a track with cleats to prevent reverse rotation, then rotation control improves, but the cartridge design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is divided into distinct functional components: the needle track, the cleats for rotation control, the cover for needle capture, and the release mechanism. Each segment performs a specific function, and they can be manufactured separately and assembled together. This segmentation allows for simpler individual components while achieving reliable rotation control through the coordinated action of the track and cleats.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical suturing device comprises an arced needle having a leading end, a trailing end, and a length of suture. A needle driver is operable to drive the needle in a first rotational direction along a circular path. A cleat projects into the circular path and is operable to engage and prevent the needle from rotating in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction. The cleat may project inward into the plane of the circular path.