Compliant E-Beam Staple Cartridge Design for Variable Tissue Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical stapling and severing instruments face challenges in accommodating varying tissue thicknesses, leading to issues such as loose staples in thin tissues and excessive compressive force in thick tissues, which can result in necrosis, bleeding, or poor staple formation.
Innovation Solution
The development of a surgical stapling and severing instrument featuring a compliant E-beam firing bar with flexible components, such as horizontal slits, relieved areas, and resilient materials, that adjusts the spacing between the anvil and staple cartridge to accommodate different tissue thicknesses, ensuring proper staple formation and minimizing tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid firing bar is used to maintain consistent spacing between the anvil and staple cartridge, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to varying tissue thicknesses deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The firing bar is designed with flexible components including horizontal slits and relieved areas that allow it to dynamically adjust its position. This enables the firing bar to accommodate varying tissue thicknesses while maintaining consistent spacing between the anvil and staple cartridge during the stapling operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The firing bar incorporates resilient materials and structural features that allow it to change its physical parameters (position, shape) in response to tissue thickness variations. This enables the same firing bar to adapt to different tissue conditions while maintaining precise staple formation.
2Force
If the spacing between anvil and staple cartridge is reduced for thick tissues, then compressive force is improved, but staple formation precision deteriorates due to excessive compression
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible firing bar dynamically adjusts the spacing between the anvil and staple cartridge based on tissue thickness. For thick tissues, it allows reduced spacing to provide adequate compressive force, while for thin tissues, it maintains appropriate spacing to prevent excessive compression, thereby ensuring consistent staple formation across varying tissue conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The firing bar's resilient structure enables it to change the compression parameters applied to the tissue. By adjusting its position and flexibility, it modulates the compressive force to match tissue thickness, preventing both insufficient compression in thick tissues and excessive compression in thin tissues.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the spacing between anvil and staple cartridge is increased for thin tissues, then tissue damage is reduced, but staple formation precision deteriorates due to loose staples
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible firing bar dynamically responds to tissue thickness by adjusting the spacing between the anvil and staple cartridge. For thin tissues, it maintains greater spacing to reduce compressive force and prevent tissue damage, while still ensuring adequate compression for proper staple formation through its resilient structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The firing bar's resilient materials and结构设计 enable it to change compression parameters adaptively. For thin tissues, it reduces compressive force by maintaining appropriate spacing, preventing tissue damage while ensuring sufficient compression for reliable staple formation through its flexible components.
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 instrument effectively adjusts to varying tissue thicknesses, ensuring consistent staple formation and reducing the risk of tissue damage by maintaining appropriate compressive force, thereby improving surgical outcomes and reducing complications like bleeding or necrosis.
Implementation Method 1
a surgical stapling and severing instrument with a compliant E-beam firing bar
Implementation Method 2
E-beams can include flexible features such as horizontal slits, relieved areas, and resilient materials
Data Source
AI summary
An end effector for use with a surgical instrument includes an anvil with at least one staple pocket that defines a longitudinal axis. The staple pocket comprises a first cup and a second cup. The end effector also includes a staple cartridge.