Endoscope Treatment Instrument with Jig-Assisted Implant Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopic treatment tools face difficulties in easily and hygienically loading small tissue-fastening tools into applicators due to the small size and delicate manipulation required, which can lead to weakened restoring forces and increased complexity, making the process time-consuming and prone to errors.
Innovation Solution
An endoscopic treatment tool with a sheath, elongated shaft, stylet, and manipulation part, where the implant is held in a curved shape and loaded using a jig connected to the stylet, allowing for easy and hygienic loading by reducing the need for complex mechanisms within the applicator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a tissue-fastening tool is manually loaded into a tubular member before use, then the implant can be prepared for indwelling, but the loading task becomes difficult and time-consuming due to the small size of the tool requiring delicate manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is pre-loaded into the tubular member during manufacturing or preparation, so that the loading task is completed in advance before clinical use. This eliminates the need for delicate manual manipulation during the procedure, reducing both time loss and operational difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
A loading tool or intermediary device is used to facilitate the insertion of the implant into the tubular member. This intermediary mechanism handles the delicate manipulation required, making the process easier and faster while protecting the small implant from damage during loading.
2Ease of operation
If the tissue-fastening tool is kept in an extended state for a long period, then it remains ready for use, but the restoring force is weakened over time
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is loaded into the tubular member in a compressed or coiled state during preparation, maintaining its restoring force. The implant is then deployed from the tubular member at the moment of use, ensuring both readiness and full restoring force capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant's physical state (compressed vs. extended) is changed at the appropriate time. It is stored in a compressed state to preserve restoring force, then transitioned to an extended state only when needed for deployment, optimizing both strength and readiness.
3Ease of operation
If a mechanism is built into the applicator to automatically load the tissue-fastening tool, then the loading task is simplified, but the size of the applicator increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading mechanism is extracted from the applicator body and implemented as a separate loading tool or external device. This allows the applicator to remain compact while still providing automated or facilitated loading capabilities through the separate tool.
Solution Approach 2:
The applicator is designed to be compatible with multiple loading methods (manual, tool-assisted, or pre-loaded), making it universally applicable regardless of the loading approach used. This multi-functionality allows the same applicator to work with different implant types and loading preferences without increasing size.
4Strength
If the tissue-fastening tool is loaded just before indwelling to maintain restoring force, then strength is preserved, but the loading task becomes more difficult due to lack of preparation time
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is pre-loaded into the tubular member during manufacturing or preparation in a controlled environment, maintaining its restoring force through proper storage conditions. This preliminary action eliminates the difficulty of loading while preserving strength, as the implant is prepared in advance under optimal conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easy and hygienic loading of implants, reducing the size of the applicator and minimizing the risk of errors while maintaining the restoring force of the tissue-fastening tool, thus improving the efficiency and safety of the loading process.
Implementation Method 1
a tissue-fastening tool (an implant) disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is, for example, made of a highly elastic metal wire material, has a coil shape in a natural state, and is configured to be elastically deformable to be extended in a longitudinal direction by an external force
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
An endoscopic treatment tool of the present invention includes: a sheath (3) in which a lumen is formed; an elongated shaft (4) which is inserted into the lumen, is configured to protrude and retract from a distal end of the sheath (3), and includes an insertion passage (41); a stylet (5) which is disposed in the insertion passage (41) to be movable relative to the elongated shaft (4); an implant (2) which includes at a proximal end portion thereof a coupling part (23) connected to a distal end of the stylet (5) and is configured to protrude and retract from the distal end of the elongated shaft (4), the distal end of the stylet (5) and the coupling part (23) being connected to each other in the insertion passage (41); and a manipulation part (6) which is provided at a proximal end side of the sheath (3) and at which a proximal end side of the stylet (5) is disposed. The implant (2) is held in a state in which the coupling part (23) is located inside the insertion passage (41) and part of the implant is exposed from the elongated shaft (4).