Modular Deformable Suture Needle for Obstructed Minimally Invasive Suturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suture needles for minimally invasive surgeries face difficulties in adapting to complex environments where the region to be sutured is blocked or covered by tissues and organs, lacking the ability to dynamically adjust their form and causing suturing challenges.
Innovation Solution
A modular deformable suture needle composed of parallel units with position differences, including a flexible deformation needle body, memory metal wires, conductive metal wires, aerogel particles, and a power/heat supply system, allowing for controlled deformations and seamless navigation through tissues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-form suture needle is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the needle cannot adapt to complex suture environments where the region to be sutured is blocked by tissues and organs
Solution Approach 1:
The needle body is divided into multiple independent deformation control units (first, second, third units) that can be controlled separately. Each unit contains memory metal wires and conductive metal wires that can be independently actuated, allowing the needle to form complex shapes like S-shaped curves to navigate around obstacles while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle transitions from a fixed form to a dynamically adjustable form through the deformation control units. By applying electrical current to specific conductive metal wires, the memory metal wires cause corresponding sections of the needle to deform, enabling real-time adaptation to blocked regions during suturing operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a bendable suture needle with fixed bending form is used, then the needle can navigate some obstacles, but it cannot be disengaged from the bending load applicator to dynamically adjust the bending form
Solution Approach 1:
The needle incorporates conductive metal wires that can be electrically stimulated to activate memory metal wires directly within the needle body. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for an external bending load applicator, allowing the needle to dynamically adjust its bending form independently during the suturing process by applying current through the conductive wires.
3Measurement precision
If motor drive, hydraulic drive, or pneumatic drive is used for flexible deformation, then control accuracy is high, but the system is difficult to implement in a tiny size suitable for suture needles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical drive systems (motors, hydraulics, pneumatics) with an electrical-thermal-mechanical system. Electrical current applied to conductive metal wires generates heat that activates memory metal wires, causing deformation. This substitution eliminates the need for bulky mechanical components while maintaining high control accuracy and enabling miniaturization suitable for suture needles with millimeter-level diameters.
4Volume of moving object
If rope drive or memory alloy drive is used for deformation, then the system is compact, but control accuracy is poor and complex deformations in multiple degrees of freedom cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is segmented into multiple deformation control units, each with its own memory metal wires and conductive metal wires. By independently controlling the electrical current applied to each unit, the system achieves precise control over deformation in multiple degrees of freedom, enabling complex shapes like S-curves while maintaining a compact size suitable for minimally invasive surgery.
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 needle provides strong axial toughness and integrity, enabling precise, efficient suturing by dynamically adjusting its form to navigate complex environments, reducing the need for repeated apparatus removal and enhancing suturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
each deformation control unit includes a memory metal wire, a conductive metal wire, aerogel particles and a film sleeve, wherein the tail end of the memory metal wire is sequentially connected to the head end of the conductive metal wire to form a deformation control unit core body
Implementation Method 2
the memory metal wire is made of a memory metal that is elastically deformed as a temperature changes or a current changes
Implementation Method 3
the aerogel particles are filled between the film sleeve and the deformation control unit core body
Implementation Method 4
each deformation control unit includes a memory metal wire, a conductive metal wire, aerogel particles and a film sleeve, wherein the tail end of the memory metal wire is sequentially connected to the head end of the conductive metal wire
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to the field of medical instruments, in particular to a modular deformable suture needle for a minimally invasive surgery and a form control method thereof. Through connecting deformation control units with position differences in parallel, a small diameter of a needle body is achieved on the premise that the overall safety is guaranteed. Needle body segments have independent controllable continuous deformation capacities in all degrees of freedom and all directions, and can quantitatively control dynamic deformations in the body of a surgical subject through an external voltage or heat power input in the suturing process, achieving high suturing efficiency and high device deformation capacity. The main steps are as follows: constructing a flexible deformation needle body composed of parallel units with position differences; constructing a modular deformable suture needle for a minimally invasive surgery; quantitatively expressing bending deformation features; establishing a single-segment form control model; and performing coherent form control. The limitations that a traditional minimally invasive surgical instrument is difficult to smoothly turn, move forward, move backward or make other actions in a complicated environment in the body of a surgical subject are overcome.