Ear Endoscope with Integrated Suction and Bendable Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current handheld endoscopes used in middle ear surgery are cumbersome, causing ergonomic imbalances, limiting the surgeon's ability to stabilize the device and use other tools simultaneously, and preventing simultaneous use with microscopes due to their design and weight distribution.
Innovation Solution
A combined visualization and suction device with a camera and suction tube integrated within a sheath, allowing for ergonomic flexibility, such as rolling and rotating, and a bendable design to accommodate different hand positions, enabling easier handling and compatibility with microscopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a standard endoscope with a long shaft is used for visualization, then the surgeon can view the middle ear, but the surgeon must hold the handle suspended in the air over the patient's head, causing hand fatigue and instability
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is segmented into a long shaft portion and a separate handle portion. The shaft remains long for visualization, while the handle is shortened and can be supported on the patient's head, separating the visualization function from the support burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a specialized ear endoscope that copies the essential visualization function of standard endoscopes but adapts the handle design to be shorter and more suitable for ear surgery, where the handle can rest on the patient's head rather than being suspended in air.
2Ease of operation
If a handheld endoscope is used for visualization, then the surgeon can view the surgical field, but the surgeon cannot simultaneously hold a suction device or surgical tool, limiting procedural efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope handle is segmented to include an integrated suction device, separating the visualization function (shaft) from the manual manipulation function (handle). This allows the shaft to be long for viewing while the handle remains short and can support additional tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction device is merged with the endoscope handle, combining visualization and suction functions in one integrated unit. This allows the surgeon to hold the endoscope in one hand and a surgical tool in the other hand simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If a standard endoscope with a straight shaft is used, then the surgeon can advance it into the ear, but the endoscope blocks the microscope's line of sight, preventing simultaneous use of both visualization tools
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope shaft is bent at an angle rather than being straight, allowing it to be advanced into the ear at an angle that does not block the microscope's direct line of sight. This curved configuration enables both the endoscope and microscope to be used simultaneously without interference.
4Ease of operation
If a heavy endoscope is held suspended in the air during surgery, then visualization is maintained, but the surgeon experiences rapid arm and hand fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to rest on the patient's head, creating a stable support position that eliminates the need to hold the endoscope handle suspended in air. This reduces the gravitational burden on the surgeon's arm and hand, allowing for longer surgical procedures without fatigue.
Data Source
AI summary
An ear endoscope device for use in a surgical procedure in an ear includes a handle, a visualization shaft extending from the handle, a tool guide extending from the handle parallel to the visualization shaft and configured to guide a tool into the ear with the visualization shaft, an imaging sensor at a distal end of the visualization shaft, and a light source. In some embodiments, the ear endoscope is combined with a suction device. In other embodiments, it may be combined with another tool.