Deformable Surgical Access Device for Minimally Invasive Heart Valve Procedures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive heart valve surgical procedures lack effective devices for accessing specific areas of the heart, such as the aorta, without the need for open-heart surgery and its associated risks, requiring more innovative solutions for accessing internal organs with minimal trauma and incision size.
Innovation Solution
A deformable surgical access device with a central core and flanges that can be compressed for insertion through small incisions, expanding to engage with the inner vessel wall, providing a stable access port for instrument manipulation while minimizing incision size and trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If open-heart surgery with median sternotomy is performed to access the heart, then adequate surgical access to the heart and vessels is achieved, but the procedure becomes highly invasive with increased risk of infection, stroke, renal failure, and other complications
Solution Approach 1:
The access device is divided into distinct functional segments: a compression element for collapsing the device, a body portion with access ports for instrument passage, and an expansion element for engaging the vessel wall. This segmentation allows the device to be inserted in a compressed state and then expanded to provide stable access, thereby achieving adequate surgical access through a minimally invasive approach while avoiding the harmful effects of open-heart surgery
Solution Approach 2:
The access device transitions from a compressed configuration for insertion to an expanded configuration for operation. The compression element allows the device to be collapsed to a small profile for insertion through small incisions, then expanded within the vessel to engage the vessel wall and provide stable access. This dynamic transformation enables minimally invasive access while maintaining the structural integrity and access capability needed for surgical procedures
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive techniques are used to access the heart through small incisions, then surgical trauma and recovery time are reduced, but adequate access to internal organs for instrument manipulation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The access device is designed with nested functional elements where the compression element surrounds the body portion, and the expansion element is positioned to engage the vessel wall. This nested structure allows the device to be inserted through a small incision in a compressed state, then expanded to provide a large internal access port that accommodates multiple surgical instruments simultaneously, thereby achieving both minimally invasive insertion and adequate surgical access
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the incision size is minimized for less trauma and smaller scars, then patient recovery time and infection risk are decreased, but the ability to access and manipulate instruments within the heart becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
The access device utilizes the radial dimension by expanding outward from the incision site to engage the vessel wall, while maintaining a small longitudinal profile for insertion. This dimensional transformation allows the device to provide a large cross-sectional access port for instrument manipulation while being inserted through a small incision, thereby resolving the contradiction between minimal incision size and adequate instrument access space
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
Enables easy and minimally invasive access to heart areas like the aorta, reducing surgical trauma, incision size, and recovery time, while avoiding the use of heart-lung machines and breastbone separation.
Implementation Method 1
The device is deformable in at least one dimension by applying forces that temporarily reconfigure or compress the central core area of the device
Implementation Method 2
The device can then be allowed to expand back to its original configuration by removing those compressive or reconfiguring forces
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A surgical access device (10) including a lower portion (12) having a central opening spaced from a lower portion outer wall, an upper portion (14) adjacent to the lower portion and having a central opening spaced from an upper portion outer wall, and at least one flange (16, 17) portion extending outwardly from the upper and lower portions. The device can further include a gap (26) extending from the central openings of the lower and upper portions and through their outer walls.