Disposable Surgical Guide for Sterile Ligament Transection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current endoscopic surgical guides are prone to sterility issues and risk of detachment, limiting visualization and increasing infection risk due to their stainless steel construction and two-piece design.

Innovation Solution

A disposable, sterile guide constructed of medically-acceptable plastic that compartmentalizes and protects the ligament or fascia during orthopedic procedures, ensuring improved visualization and reducing infection risk by being pre-sterilized and cost-effective.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If current stainless steel two-piece guides are used, then durability is improved, but sterility reliability deteriorates due to re-sterilization requirements and infection risk

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidsterility reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a disposable single-use guide constructed from medically-acceptable plastic that can be pre-sterilized and discarded after one use. This eliminates the need for repeated sterilization cycles while ensuring sterility reliability, as each guide is factory-sterile and never reprocessed. The disposable nature also eliminates infection risk from previous patients while maintaining sufficient durability for the single surgical procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Strength

If current two-piece guides are used, then structural strength is improved, but operational safety deteriorates due to risk of piece detachment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural strengthVSAvoidoperational safety

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the previously separate guide components into a single integrated unit constructed from medically-acceptable plastic. This unified design eliminates the friction attachment interface between pieces that could fail or detach during surgery, while the integrated structure maintains sufficient structural strength to guide the cutting instrument and protect surrounding anatomy throughout the procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of time

If smaller incisions are used for endoscopic procedures, then patient recovery is improved, but visualization quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverecovery timeVSAvoidvisualization quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a guide with an integrated camera system that acts as an intermediary to enhance visualization through the small incision. The camera captures high-quality images and transmits them to a display system, allowing the surgeon to view detailed anatomical structures despite the limited physical aperture of the small incision, thereby maintaining visualization quality while benefiting from reduced patient trauma.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20260026834A1Surgical device that transects a ligament and method therefore

Publication Date: 2026.01.29 NANICE MEDICAL SOLUTIONS LLC

AI summary

A disposable, sterile guide constructed of medically-acceptable plastic used for compartmentalizing and therefore protecting the ligament or fascia during three different orthopedic surgical procedures: ECTR, ECuTR, and EPFR. This device reduces the risk of damage to any other part of the surrounding anatomy. The device is disposable and packaged so as to be sterile and therefore readily usable by the surgeon means that it can reduce the risk of infection and is a less expensive alternative to traditional non-disposable, metal instruments that must be sterilized prior to each procedure.