Denticulate Shield for Surgical Morcellator Tissue Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional morcellators face challenges such as disseminated tissue fragments during minimally invasive surgery, lag in response time leading to tissue injury, and excessive pull and push forces that can harm nearby tissues and organs.
Innovation Solution
A morcellator design featuring a denticulate shield with arms and notches to capture loose tissue fragments, coupled with a mechanism to control the speed of tissue retrieval synchronized with the cutting edge's rotation, reducing the risk of dissemination and improving surgical precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional morcellator with a rotating cylindrical inner tube is used to remove large tissue masses, then tissue removal capability is improved, but tissue fragments are disseminated into the peritoneal cavity causing harmful effects
Solution Approach 1:
A shield is introduced as an intermediary component between the rotating inner tube and the peritoneal cavity. The shield captures loose tissue fragments that are dislodged during morcellation and prevents their dissemination into the peritoneal cavity, while still allowing the inner tube to rotate and cut tissue effectively
Solution Approach 2:
The morcellator is divided into functional segments: the rotating inner tube for cutting, the shield for fragment capture, and the outer tube for structural support. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without interfering with others
2Productivity
If the grasper pulls tissue through the inner tube at high speed to improve efficiency, then productivity is improved, but excessive pull force causes injury to nearby tissues and organs
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides tactile feedback to the surgeon through the grasper and morcellator handle, allowing real-time monitoring of pull force. This feedback mechanism enables the surgeon to adjust the pulling speed and force to prevent injury to nearby tissues and organs while maintaining efficient tissue retrieval
3Productivity
If the cutting edge rotates at high speed to improve morcellation efficiency, then productivity is improved, but lag in response time causes tissue injury
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is positioned in advance to intercept tissue fragments before they can be propelled into the peritoneal cavity by the rotating cutting edge. This preliminary positioning of the shield eliminates the harmful effects that would otherwise occur during the cutting action
4Productivity
If push force is applied to advance the morcellator into tissue to improve cutting effectiveness, then productivity is improved, but excessive push force injures nearby tissues and organs
Solution Approach 1:
The surgeon receives tactile feedback through the morcellator handle that indicates the resistance and density of the tissue being cut. This feedback allows the surgeon to modulate the push force in real-time, applying enough force to advance the cutting edge effectively while preventing injury to nearby tissues and organs
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments described a shield for a surgical morcellator. Specifically, embodiments disclose a denticulate shield for the distal tip of a surgical morcellator with notches, wherein the notches are configured to catch loose morcellated tissue and prevent the loose morcellated tissue from being falling or remaining into the patient.