Endoscopic Forceps Bilateral Unilateral Jaw Cam Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic surgical procedures face challenges in effectively sealing and cutting larger blood vessels due to spatial constraints, often requiring conversion to open surgery, which compromises the benefits of minimally invasive techniques.
Innovation Solution
An endoscopic bipolar electrosurgical forceps design featuring a housing with a shaft and end effector assembly, including jaw members with cam slots and a pivot mechanism that allows for both bilateral and unilateral motion, enabling precise tissue engagement and sealing, along with a knife for severing, and a switch for electrosurgical energy application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If endoscopic electrosurgical forceps are used to seal and cut vessels, then minimally invasive surgery benefits are maintained, but the ability to effectively seal larger vessels is compromised due to spatial constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps incorporates a dynamic jaw member arrangement that can transition between bilateral and unilateral motion modes. The cam mechanism allows the jaw members to move in different configurations, enabling the surgeon to adapt the gripping geometry to match the size and orientation of the vessel being sealed, thereby maintaining effective sealing capability within endoscopic spatial constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The cam slot geometry is designed to change the positional parameters of the jaw members relative to each other. By adjusting the cam mechanism, the forceps can modify the distance between jaw members and the angle of approach, allowing optimization of the sealing interface for different vessel sizes while maintaining the minimally invasive endoscopic approach
2Adaptability or versatility
If bilateral jaw member motion is used, then tissue grasping capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cam mechanism serves multiple functions: it controls both bilateral and unilateral jaw member motion, provides the gripping force, and enables position adjustment. This multi-functional design allows a single mechanism to handle various tissue grasping scenarios without requiring separate control systems for each motion mode, thereby managing complexity while maintaining versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the control of multiple jaw members into a single integrated cam mechanism. Instead of having independent control systems for each jaw member, the cam slot geometry coordinates the motion of both jaw members simultaneously, reducing the number of separate components and simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining the ability to perform bilateral and unilateral motions
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
Enables effective sealing and cutting of larger vessels within the confines of endoscopic surgery, maintaining the benefits of minimally invasive procedures by providing adjustable jaw positions and electrosurgical energy control, facilitating precise tissue manipulation and closure.
Implementation Method 1
a movable handle is operably coupled to a drive rod configured to translate a cam pin within the cam slots of the first and second jaw members
Implementation Method 2
A pivot is operably coupled to the first and second jaw members to facilitate pivotable motion therebetween
Implementation Method 3
Electrosurgical forceps utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to effect hemostasis by heating the tissue and blood vessels to coagulate, cauterize and/or seal tissue
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscopic bipolar forceps includes a housing having a shaft extending therefrom with an end effector disposed at a distal end thereof. The end effector assembly includes a first and second jaw members having cam slots defined therein with distal and proximal sections at different angles relative to a longitudinal axis. Upon initial actuation of a handle, a cam pin engages the distal cam section of the first jaw member causing it to move relative to the second jaw member while the second jaw member remains stationary. Upon continued actuation of the handle, the cam pin engages the proximal cam section of the first jaw member causing the first jaw member to remain stationary while the second jaw member cams relative to the first jaw member to close against tissue disposed between the first and second jaw members.