Composite Sled for Independent Knife Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical sleds with tissue cutting knives often get stuck during retraction due to fallen staple drivers, leaving the knife exposed and at risk of contacting patient tissue.
Innovation Solution
A multi-component sled assembly with a first component having a rail with a distal-facing ramp for ejecting staples and a second component movable within a longitudinal slot, allowing the knife to be retracted even if the sled is stuck.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sled is made as a single integrated component, then the structure is simple, but the knife cannot be retracted independently when the sled gets stuck
Solution Approach 1:
The sled assembly is divided into two separate components: a first component (sled body) and a second component (knife). This segmentation allows the knife to be retracted independently from the sled body, solving the problem where the entire sled gets stuck and prevents independent knife retraction. The first component includes a rail with a distal-facing ramp for ejecting staples, while the second component (knife) can move independently within the longitudinal slot.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the sled is retracted to house the knife, then patient safety is improved, but the sled may get stuck during retraction
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the sled into two independent components, the system ensures that even if the first component (sled body) gets stuck during retraction, the second component (knife) can still be retracted independently to house the sharp edge, eliminating the hazard of an exposed knife while maintaining retraction reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife is extracted as a separate second component from the integrated sled assembly, allowing it to be retracted independently. This extraction ensures that the harmful factor (exposed sharp edge) can be eliminated even when the main sled body fails to retract properly.
3Productivity
If the sled is designed to eject staples effectively, then stapling function is improved, but staple drivers may fall behind and prevent sled retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The sled assembly is segmented into a first component for staple ejection and a second component for knife housing. This segmentation isolates the staple driver ejection function from the knife retraction function, allowing staple drivers to be ejected effectively without preventing knife retraction. The first component's rail with distal-facing ramp ensures efficient staple ejection, while the second component can be retracted independently.
Data Source
AI summary
A stapling assembly comprising a cartridge body, staple drivers, staples, and a sled assembly is disclosed. The cartridge body comprises a deck, a longitudinal slot, and staple cavities defined in the deck. The sled assembly is configurable in a first configuration and a second configuration. The sled assembly is movable distally in the first configuration during a staple firing stroke. The sled assembly is movable proximally in the second configuration during a retraction stroke. The sled assembly comprises a first component and a second component. The first component comprises a base and at least one rail extending from the base. The rail comprises a distal-facing ramp configured to engage the staple drivers to eject the staples from the staple cavities during the staple firing stroke. The rail is comprised of metal. The second component is movable within the longitudinal slot. The first component is movable relative to the second component.