Disassemblable Vascular Clamp for Minimally Invasive Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical clamps used in minimally invasive surgery often obstruct the surgeon's field of vision and operating area due to their size and design, leading to difficulties in handling and increased tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
A disassemblable and reassemblable vascular clamp with a U-shaped gripping mechanism and a continuously adjustable actuating tool, allowing for stepless jaw adjustment and secure occlusion of vessels, which can be assembled and disassembled during procedures to minimize access size and trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional surgical clamp with scissor-like construction and annular handles is used, then the clamp can securely occlude blood vessels, but the clamp obstructs the surgeon's field of vision and operating area
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into three separable components: an operating mechanism with gripping elements, a vascular clamp with coupling arrangement, and an actuating tool. This segmentation allows the vascular clamp to be detached from the operating mechanism after insertion, removing the obstructive handles and ratchet mechanism from the surgical field while leaving the functional clamp in place for reliable vessel occlusion.
2Reliability
If a traditional surgical clamp with ratchet locking mechanism is used, then the clamp can be set in one of several locked positions, but the clamp cannot be continuously adjusted and may clamp too tightly or too loosely
Solution Approach 1:
The vascular clamp incorporates a continuous adjustment mechanism with a thread (fine or coarse) that allows the jaws to be adjusted continuously rather than in discrete steps. The actuating tool rotates the adjusting element, which moves the push-pull element and thereby continuously adjusts the jaw separation, enabling precise control of clamping force while maintaining stability through the coupling arrangement.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a large-sized surgical clamp is used to access deep vessels, then the clamp can reach the target vessel, but the clamp increases tissue damage and trauma
Solution Approach 1:
The separation of the vascular clamp from the operating mechanism allows only the essential clamping function to remain in the body, minimizing the size of foreign objects present in the surgical site. The operating mechanism with its large handles and ratchet mechanism can be completely removed after the clamp is positioned, reducing tissue trauma while maintaining the ability to reach deep vessels through the coupled delivery system.
4Ease of operation
If the surgical clamp remains assembled during the procedure, then the clamp is easy to handle and operate, but the clamp reduces the size of the opening and obstructs the surgeon's activity
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is designed to be assembled for insertion and operation, then disassembled during the procedure. The vascular clamp is detached from the operating mechanism after the vessel is occluded, allowing the large operating mechanism to be removed from the limited surgical opening, thereby freeing up space for the surgeon's activities while maintaining easy operation during the critical clamping phase.
Data Source
AI summary
A vascular clamp, has an operating mechanism, and an actuating tool. The vascular clamp is grasped using a detachable operating mechanism, wherein an actuating tool that can be slid in and out is able to open and close the jaws of the grasped vascular clamp. The vascular clamp includes a coupling arrangement and a continuously adjustable adjustment mechanism for this purpose. In order to grasp the vascular clamp, the operating mechanism includes a gripping mechanism and is equipped with a locking mechanism, which are used to create a detachable connection between the vascular clamp and the operating mechanism. For stepless opening and closing, the actuating tool engages in the adjustment mechanism of the vascular clamp and opens and closes the jaws of the vascular clamp by corresponding rotation of the actuating tool. The surgical instrument according to the invention is disassemblable and reassemblable, and can advantageously be disassembled into its three constituent parts during an operation, thus keeping the access opening in the chest free from obstructing instruments.