Endoscope Therapeutic Unit Integrating Light Source and Tissue Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes are limited in their ability to provide both visualization and therapeutic functions during minimally invasive surgical procedures, leading to potential infections and the need for additional postoperative procedures that are costly and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
An endoscope with a therapeutic unit integrated within the distal portion, featuring a light source and a controller, which includes LED elements configured to focus light energy on specific areas of tissue for therapeutic purposes, such as coagulating blood, inducing fluorescence, or killing gangrene cells, while also providing illumination and image capture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional endoscopes are used for visualization only, then the device structure remains simple, but additional therapeutic instruments and postoperative procedures are required, increasing device complexity and treatment time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines visualization and therapeutic functions into a single endoscope device. The distal portion includes both an image sensor for visualization and a therapeutic unit with light-emitting elements for tissue treatment. This merging eliminates the need for separate therapeutic instruments and integrates multiple functions into one device, directly resolving the contradiction between versatility and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The endoscope is designed as a multi-functional device that can perform both visualization and therapeutic functions. The therapeutic unit can coagulate blood, induce fluorescence, and kill gangrene cells using different wavelengths of light, making the device universal for multiple surgical needs without requiring additional specialized instruments.
2Productivity
If multiple separate instruments are used for visualization and therapy, then each instrument can be optimized for its specific function, but additional postoperative procedures are required, increasing treatment time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The therapeutic unit is positioned at the distal portion of the endoscope, allowing therapeutic treatment to be performed immediately during the visualization procedure. The light-emitting elements can coagulate blood, induce fluorescence, and kill gangrene cells in real-time during surgery, eliminating the need for separate postoperative procedures and significantly reducing treatment time.
Solution Approach 2:
By merging visualization and therapeutic functions into a single device, the patent enables simultaneous or sequential performance of both functions during one surgical procedure. This integration eliminates the need for additional postoperative procedures, directly improving surgical efficiency and reducing time loss.
3Ease of operation
If tissue is bluntly or sharply dissected, ligated, and sealed during surgery, then surgical procedures can be performed, but infections may occur due to tissue disruption, compromising patient safety
Solution Approach 1:
The therapeutic unit uses light energy with specific wavelengths to treat tissue, changing the physical parameter of light absorption to achieve therapeutic effects. By using light at wavelengths that are absorbed by blood and bacterial cells, the device can coagulate blood and kill gangrene cells without mechanical disruption, reducing infection risk while maintaining surgical capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical dissection, ligation, and sealing methods with optical energy from the therapeutic unit. The light-emitting elements can coagulate blood and treat tissue through photothermal effects without mechanical contact, eliminating the tissue disruption associated with traditional surgical instruments and reducing infection risk.
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
The endoscope enables both visualization and therapeutic treatment of tissue in a single device, reducing the risk of infections and postoperative procedures by focusing light energy on specific areas, thereby enhancing healing effects and simplifying surgical processes.
Implementation Method 1
a light source disposed within the distal portion of the elongated body and configured to illuminate tissue
Implementation Method 2
the therapeutic unit is configured to focus the light energy on an area of tissue that is smaller than an area of tissue illuminated by the light source
Implementation Method 3
treating the tissue using a therapeutic unit of the endoscope... emitting light having a wavelength ranging from about 500 nm to about 650 nm... to coagulate blood within the tissue, emitting light having a wavelength of about 570 nm... to induce fresh blood cells in the tissue to produce fluorescence, or emitting light having a wavelength of about 650 nm... to kill gangrene cells
Implementation Method 4
the therapeutic unit includes a light emitting element and a lens... The proximal surface is disposed at first angle with respect to a first axis, and the distal surface disposed at a second angle with respect to the second axis
Implementation Method 5
an image sensor disposed within the distal portion of the elongated body and configured to capture a plurality of images
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscope includes a handle, an elongated body extending distally from the handle and defining a longitudinal axis, a light source disposed within the distal portion of the elongated body and configured to illuminate tissue, and a therapeutic unit disposed within the distal portion of the elongated body and configured to treat tissue.