Cleaning Cap With Flexible Wipers For Surgical Access Lumen
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical access devices often suffer from lens soiling and obstruction due to bodily fluids and debris, leading to reduced visibility during procedures, and existing cleaning methods are inefficient, requiring removal and reinsertion of visualization devices, which can cause delays.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning cap with flexible wipers is designed to be coupled with surgical access devices, allowing for quick and simplified cleaning of visualization devices by retracting and advancing the instrument through the cap, removing soiled material from the distal end portion without removing the device from the access device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cleaning by removing the visualization device is used, then the lens can be cleaned effectively, but surgical time is lost and procedural efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning cap is attached to the surgical access device before the visualization device is inserted, so cleaning surfaces are already in place to prevent soiling rather than cleaning after soiling occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning cap acts as an intermediary component between the surgical access device and the visualization device, providing a cleaning mechanism that interfaces with both without requiring removal of the visualization device
2Productivity
If spray wash nozzles are incorporated on the visualization device or surgical access device, then cleaning can be performed without removal, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning cap is designed as a simple, disposable component that can be easily manufactured and discarded after use, avoiding the need for complex, expensive reusable cleaning systems with irrigation passages and fluid delivery mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning function is extracted from the complex spray wash nozzle system and simplified to a passive cap with cleaning surfaces that rely on friction from instrument movement rather than active fluid delivery
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cleaning cap is universally compatible with standard surgical access devices, then adaptability increases, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning cap is designed to accommodate a range of standard surgical access device diameters (5-15 mm) by using flexible materials and elastic deformation, allowing a single design to fit multiple sizes without requiring precision manufacturing for each specific dimension
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
The cleaning cap provides a rapid and efficient method to maintain clear visibility by effectively removing debris and fluids from the surgical instrument's lens, reducing downtime in the operating room and minimizing procedural disruptions.
Implementation Method 1
flexible wipers is designed to be coupled with surgical access devices, allowing for quick and simplified cleaning of visualization devices by retracting and advancing the instrument through the cap, removing soiled material from the distal end portion
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical access assembly includes a surgical access device and a cleaning cap. The surgical access device includes an elongated shaft defining an access lumen therethrough and having a distal portion terminating at a distal tip. The cleaning cap is disposed over the distal portion of the elongated shaft. The cleaning cap includes an instrument channel aligned with the access lumen and wipers disposed within the instrument channel.