Curved End Effector Guide Assembly for Clean Tissue Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical stapling devices often fail to cleanly cut tissue clamped between the anvil and cartridge assemblies when the stapling device is fired.
Innovation Solution
The end effector includes a guide member and a guide pin positioned to engage the knife blade, ensuring that the tissue is effectively confined and cut when the stapling device is fired.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional knife assembly is used to cut tissue clamped between the anvil and cartridge assemblies, then the cutting action is simple and direct, but the tissue is not cleanly cut and may be compressed outwardly during cutting
Solution Approach 1:
A curved guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the knife blade and the tissue. This guide member engages the knife blade during firing and directs it along a curved path that prevents tissue compression and ensures clean cutting. The guide member acts as a mediator that controls the knife's motion to resolve the cutting precision issue without requiring fundamental changes to the knife assembly itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member is formed with a curved configuration that corresponds to the curvature of the end effector body. This curvature guides the knife blade along an arc-shaped path during tissue cutting, preventing the knife from compressing tissue outwardly and ensuring clean cuts. The curved geometry is essential to maintaining proper tissue confinement during the cutting action.
2Reliability
If the guide pin is used alone to confine tissue, then the structure remains simple, but the tissue is not effectively confined during cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The guide function is merged between two components: the existing guide pin and the new curved guide member. The guide pin provides initial tissue confinement and alignment, while the curved guide member provides continuous guidance during knife motion. This combination of guide elements works together to achieve reliable tissue confinement throughout the entire cutting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide pin performs preliminary action by confining tissue and positioning it correctly before the knife blade engages. This preliminary confinement ensures that when the knife is driven through the tissue, the tissue remains properly positioned and confined, preventing outward compression and ensuring clean cuts.
Data Source
AI summary
An end effector for a transverse type surgical stapling device includes an anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly. The cartridge assembly includes a knife assembly having a knife blade and a guide pin. The guide pin is movable between retracted and advanced positions to confine tissue between the anvil assembly and the cartridge assembly. The end effector includes a body that supports a guide member that is spaced from the guide pin. The guide member and the guide pin are positioned and configured to engage the knife blade when the stapling device is fired to more effectively cut tissue clamped between the anvil and cartridge assemblies.