Disposable Surgical Stapling Device with Articulated Tool
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical stapling devices for endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures are complex and costly, often requiring multiple components and lacking a fresh knife blade for each firing, which complicates operation and increases manufacturing expenses.
Innovation Solution
A surgical stapling device with an articulatable tool member that includes a disposable loading unit with linear rows of staples, featuring a handle assembly, elongated body, and axial drive assembly, allowing for sequential staple application and simultaneous tissue incision, with a locking mechanism for secure operation and a mechanism to ensure a fresh knife blade for each firing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional surgical stapling devices are used for endoscopic procedures, then tissue stapling and incision functions are provided, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a reusable handle assembly and a disposable loading unit. The loading unit contains the staple cartridge, anvil, and knife blade as separate replaceable components. This segmentation allows the complex functional elements to be pre-assembled and tested separately, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining functional reliability through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading unit with staple cartridge, anvil, and knife blade is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use. This eliminates the need for complex sterilization and maintenance systems, reducing device complexity while ensuring reliability through factory-sealed, sterile, pre-calibrated components that cannot be compromised by improper handling.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple components are used in surgical stapling devices, then stapling and incision functions are achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading unit is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate different staple cartridge sizes and configurations while maintaining the same basic structure. The standardized interface between the loading unit and handle assembly allows a single handle design to work with multiple loading unit variants, reducing manufacturing costs through component commonality while preserving functional versatility through configurable loading units.
Solution Approach 2:
The staple cartridge, anvil, and knife blade are merged into a single integrated loading unit that functions as one replaceable module. This merging reduces the total number of components that need to be managed, assembled, and sterilized separately, thereby reducing manufacturing and operational costs while maintaining all necessary functions (stapling and incision) within the single unit.
3Device complexity
If a single knife blade is used for multiple firings, then device complexity is reduced, but surgical precision and tissue quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The knife blade is integrated into the disposable loading unit and is discarded with the rest of the loading unit after a single use. This ensures that each surgical procedure uses a fresh, sharp blade that has never been subjected to stress or contamination, maintaining high incision quality without requiring a complex blade replacement mechanism. The disposable nature of the blade eliminates concerns about blade wear, sterility, and sharpness between uses.
4Ease of operation
If articulatable tool members are added for endoscopic access, then surgical accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The articulation mechanism is contained entirely within the disposable loading unit, separate from the reusable handle assembly. This segmentation allows the articulation mechanism to be optimized for endoscopic access without complicating the handle design. The loading unit can be manufactured with built-in articulation features that are discarded after use, eliminating the need for complex, reusable articulation mechanisms in the handle.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical stapling device few sequentially applying a plurality of fasteners to body tissue and simultaneously incising tissue is provided. The device is adapted to receive disposable loading units having staples in linear rows whose surgical stapling length can be Between about 30 mm and 60 mm. The disposable loading unit includes a proximal body portion, a mounting assembly and a tool assembly. The mounting assembly is secured to the proximal end of the tool assembly and pivotally mounted about a pivot axis to the distal end of the proximal body portion. A support member or blow-out plate assembly is positioned on opposite sides of the pivot axis and extends between the proximal body portion and the mounting assembly.