Endoscope Accessory Controls for Single-Operator Articulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic medical devices face limitations in accessibility and maneuverability due to tools extending from the distal end, requiring multiple operators and increasing the risk of accidents and infections.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with independently articulable tubes and control mechanisms allows for precise control of medical instruments, enabling them to be bent at angles relative to the endoscope's longitudinal axis, with locking mechanisms and joysticks for enhanced maneuverability and single-operator operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If medical tools extend from one or more openings in a distal end face of the endoscope, then the tools can be inserted through lumens to reach target sites, but the access and maneuverability of these medical tools in a direction perpendicular to the distal end face is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The distal end of the endoscope is made dynamically articulable, allowing it to bend and change orientation independently from the main body. This enables tools extending from the distal end face to reach target sites at various angles and directions, simultaneously improving maneuverability and accessibility without requiring multiple operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a new degree of freedom by enabling articulation in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope. This dimensional change allows the distal end to access target sites that would be unreachable with traditional linear extension, enhancing both maneuverability and versatility.
2Ease of operation
If multiple users operate multiple tools and accessories of an endoscope device, then comprehensive control of the device is achieved, but the number of persons in the medical operation suite increases, which may increase the risk of accidents, infections, or other complications
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope device is designed with multiple functions integrated into a single operable system. The articulation controls, tube extension controls, and tool operation controls are combined under single-operator management, allowing one user to perform tasks that previously required multiple operators, thereby reducing exposure risk while maintaining comprehensive control.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables single-operator self-sufficient operation through integrated controls that allow one user to independently manage articulation, tube extension, and tool deployment without requiring assistance from technicians or other personnel, reducing the number of people in the sterile field and associated risks.
3Adaptability or versatility
If control devices are configured to move within slots in proximal and distal directions, then independent articulation and tube extension are enabled, but the device complexity increases with locking mechanisms and multiple control systems
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple control functions into an integrated system where articulation control and tube extension control are merged into a coordinated mechanism. The control devices operate within shared structural elements (slots in the handle), and the articulation wires and tube movement are mechanically linked, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining independent articulation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system employs a nested structure where control devices are housed within the handle body, articulation wires are nested within the tube structure, and the articulation mechanism is nested within the overall endoscope assembly. This nested arrangement organizes complex components efficiently, managing device complexity through hierarchical integration.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device includes a handle including a first slot, a first control device movable within the first slot in a proximal direction and a distal direction, and a sheath extending from the handle and having a longitudinal axis, the sheath defining a first lumen extending from the handle to a distal end of the sheath. A first tube extends within the first lumen, the first tube is connected to the first control device and moves between a first position, where a distalmost end of the first tube is flush with or proximal of a distalmost end of the sheath, and a second position, where the distalmost end of the first tube is positioned distal of the distalmost end of the sheath. The first slot extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sheath.