Single-Hand Dural Repair Device with Needle Transfer Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dural repair devices are limited in their ability to perform minimally invasive procedures due to the difficulty in navigating needles through tight spaces without damaging nerves, and they often require increasing the tissue exposure area for adequate closure.
Innovation Solution
A dural repair device designed for single-handed operation, featuring a handle that activates to move arms of the device, allowing for precise transfer of a needle during suturing, thereby minimizing nerve damage and enabling repair within tight spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current dural repair devices are used, then dural repair can be performed, but the risk of nerve damage increases due to difficulty in navigating needles through tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (the specialized needle transfer device with arms and platforms) that mediates between the surgeon's hand and the delicate dural tissue. This intermediary allows precise control of needle placement and transfer while keeping nerves and spinal cord away from the suture line, thus reducing nerve damage risk while maintaining repair effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary actions by pre-positioning the needle holder and platform in specific configurations before the actual suturing begins. The platform is preliminarily positioned to keep nerves away from the suture line, and the needle transfer mechanism is pre-configured to enable precise needle placement, preventing nerve damage before it can occur
2Reliability
If current dural repair devices are used, then adequate closure can be achieved, but the tissue exposure area must be increased which defeats the purpose of minimally invasive procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nesting principle by placing the needle holder and needle within the confined space of the dural tear site. The device components are nested within each other and within the limited surgical field, allowing adequate closure to be achieved without increasing the tissue exposure area, thus maintaining the minimally invasive nature of the procedure
3Ease of operation
If a single-handed device is used, then operation ease is improved, but device complexity increases to achieve precise needle transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single integrated device: the needle holder, the transfer mechanism, and the platform for keeping nerves away are all combined into one device that can be operated with a single hand. This merging reduces the need for multiple separate instruments and simplifies the overall surgical procedure despite the sophisticated functionality required for precise needle transfer
Data Source
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AI summary
A dural repair device operable with a single hand. The device comprises a handle and an outer arm having an end opening and a mechanism for holding a needle within the outer arm. The device also comprises an inner arm including a heel, a platform, an end opening, and a mechanism for catching a needle. The handle is activatable such that the inner and outer arms couple, the needle is caught by the mechanism for catching a needle within the inner arm, and when the inner and outer arms are uncoupled, the needle is transferred from the outer arm to the inner arm.