Dual-Needle Suture Passing Instrument for Endoscopic Tissue Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic surgical procedures face challenges in accessing and efficiently passing sutures through tissue due to limited access, requiring auxiliary devices that are not always quick, accurate, or easy to use.
Innovation Solution
A suture passing instrument with a dual-needle actuator and elongated tubular member, featuring a ratchet-like mechanism and jaws, allows for the secure placement and advancement of a suture through tissue using two needles positioned in a side-by-side configuration, enabling precise and efficient suture placement in minimally invasive procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual or forceps grasping of suture strands is used in endoscopic procedures, then suture passing is possible, but the procedure becomes time-consuming and difficult to perform quickly and accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The suture strand serves a dual function: it both secures the tissue between jaws and acts as the element to be passed through tissue. The needle captures the suture strand that is already positioned and advances it through tissue, eliminating the need for separate suture placement and passing steps, thereby enabling quick and accurate suture passing
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument combines multiple functions into a single device: tissue grasping by jaws, suture strand positioning, and suture passing through tissue all occur with one instrument. The dual-needle mechanism integrates suture capture and advancement in a single operational sequence, improving both speed and ease of operation
2Adaptability or versatility
If auxiliary devices are used to grasp and pass suture strands in endoscopic procedures, then suture passing to distant locations is enabled, but the instruments are not quick, accurate, or easy to use
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is designed to perform multiple functions: it can grasp tissue with its jaws, position the suture strand in the securing mechanism, and pass the suture through tissue using the needle. This multi-functional design allows the single instrument to handle various suture passing scenarios efficiently, maintaining both adaptability and productivity
3Productivity
If a single needle is used to pass suture, then the instrument structure is simpler, but the suture passing is less accurate and efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The suture passing function is divided into two distinct needle actions: a first needle captures the suture strand by piercing it, and a second needle advances the captured suture through the tissue. This segmentation of the suture passing task into capture and advancement phases improves efficiency and accuracy while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular needle design
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for passing suture in tissue repair and other surgical procedures. The apparatus includes a pair of jaws mounted on a distal end of a shaft, a handle assembly mounted on a proximal end of the shaft, and two needles mounted on the handle assembly and through a cannulation of the shaft. A dual-needle actuator communicates with the two needles. A suture is placed at the tip of the lower jaw. By advancing the dual-needle actuator relative to the body of the instrument, the two needles are pushed forward to capture the suture and advance it through the tissue to be sutured.