Surgical Clip Applier Distal Feeder Angled Packing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wristed surgical clip appliers face challenges in efficiently loading and deploying multiple surgical clips due to limited space distal to the wrist, which restricts the number of clips that can be housed and complicates the procedure, increasing time, complexity, and cost.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates efficient clip packing and dispensation mechanisms that allow for multiple surgical clips to be stored distal to the wrist without significantly increasing the tool's size, enabling the deployment of clips of varying sizes and types from a single applier, and includes features like angled packing and dual clip feeders to enhance clip availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple surgical clips are housed distal to the wrist in conventional wristed clip appliers, then the number of clips that can be accommodated is limited, but increasing the distal tool size to house more clips increases the tool length undergoing articulation, making accurate articulation more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from housing clips purely distal to the wrist to a multi-dimensional arrangement where clips are housed both proximal and distal to the wrist, utilizing the longitudinal dimension of the tool shaft. This dimensional expansion allows increased clip capacity without proportionally increasing the distal tool size, thereby maintaining articulation accuracy while accommodating more surgical clips.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip housing function is segmented between two locations: proximal to the wrist and distal to the wrist. This segmentation allows the system to distribute clip storage across different zones, reducing the burden on any single location and enabling efficient space utilization without compromising articulation performance.
2Quantity of substance
If the distal tool size is increased to accommodate more surgical clips, then more clips can be housed, but this renders the surgical tool incompatible with other components used in a surgical procedure
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting clip storage between proximal and distal locations, the patent avoids concentrating all clips in the distal portion. This segmentation prevents excessive distal tool size increase, thereby maintaining compatibility with other surgical components while still achieving increased overall clip capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The proximal tool shaft region, traditionally not used for clip storage, is repurposed to house additional clips. This multi-functional use of the tool shaft space increases clip capacity without affecting the distal tool dimensions that determine compatibility with other surgical components.
3Ease of operation
If a single clip is housed in the clip applier, then the tool size remains small and articulation is accurate, but multiple clip appliers or repeated insertions are required, increasing procedure time, complexity and risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments clip storage into proximal and distal portions, enabling the tool to carry multiple clips (typically 5-15 clips) in a single insertion. This eliminates the need for multiple clip appliers or repeated insertions, significantly improving surgical procedure efficiency while maintaining manageable device complexity through organized clip distribution.
Data Source
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AI summary
End effectors with increased clip loading capacity include a housing having a tapered section at a distal end; first and second jaw members protruding distally from the tapered section; a surgical clip feeder arranged within the housing and configured to contain a plurality of surgical clips therein; and a feedbar longitudinally movable between the housing and the plurality of surgical clips, the feedbar having a distal portion engageable with a distal-most surgical clip of the plurality of surgical clips within the tapered section. The plurality of surgical clips is arrangeable within the surgical clip feeder at a non-zero angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the end effector. Actuation of the feedbar engages and advances the distal-most surgical clip out of the surgical clip feeder and into interposition between the first and second jaw members.