Endoscopic Knife Assembly with Slotted Cannula
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscopic surgical instruments lack an efficient and cost-effective design for minimally invasive procedures, particularly in arthroscopic surgeries, where the existing instruments are often cumbersome and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A slotted transparent cannula and endoscopic knife assembly with a blade featuring angled cutting surfaces and a knife tube assembly, designed for insertion into a slotted cannula, allowing for precise visualization and controlled tissue manipulation, while being lightweight and cost-effective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional endoscopic surgical instruments are used, then surgical procedures can be performed, but the instruments are cumbersome and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into separate components: a reusable handle assembly and disposable blade assemblies. This segmentation allows the complex portions to be manufactured once and reused, while simpler disposable portions handle the cutting function, reducing overall system cost and complexity for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable blade assemblies that contain the cutting elements. These disposable components eliminate the need for expensive sterilization and maintenance of cutting surfaces, reducing long-term costs while maintaining surgical precision. The reusable handle can be sterilized and reused multiple times.
2Ease of operation
If endoscopic surgery is performed through small incisions, then patient recovery is faster, but visualization and control of the surgical field become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument combines multiple functions into a single integrated assembly: the handle provides ergonomic control, the shaft transmits motion, and the blade assembly performs cutting. This merging allows the surgeon to maintain control and visualization through a unified instrument rather than coordinating multiple separate tools through small incisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongate shaft acts as an intermediary transmission element between the surgeon's hand and the cutting blade. It transmits rotational and pushing motions while maintaining sterile separation between the non-sterile handle and the sterile blade, enabling precise control through the incision without direct contact between surgeon and surgical field.
3Manufacturing precision
If a blade with angled cutting surfaces is used, then cutting precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex angled cutting surfaces are extracted from the reusable handle and placed into disposable blade assemblies. This allows precision cutting surfaces to be manufactured once with high precision using specialized processes, then replicated across multiple disposable units at lower cost, separating the high-precision manufacturing requirement from the volume production requirement.
Data Source
AI summary
An endoscopic surgical blade is disclosed. The blade is part of an endoscopic knife assembly which also has a knife tube and alignment ring. The endoscopic knife assembly is for use in endoscopic surgery by insertion of the assembly though a slotted cannula. The knife tube is hollow and allows the insertion of an endoscope for viewing of the surgical procedure. The blade has an upper and a lower cutting surface on the forward edge, which meet at an angle at a crotch.