Expandable Flexible Access Tubes for Endoscopic Spinal Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic spinal surgery is limited by the use of rigid scopes and small working channels, which restrict instrument access and maneuverability, particularly in tight anatomical regions like the spine, necessitating additional incisions and increasing the risk of iatrogenic damage.
Innovation Solution
The development of Flexible Access Supplementation Tubes (FASTER) systems, comprising interconnected flexible tubes made of materials like Nitinol and elastic polymers, which can be expanded to accommodate instruments of varying sizes and shapes, reducing the need for rigid cannulas and multiple incisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rigid scopes with small working channels are used for endoscopic spinal surgery, then the scope structure is simple and rigid, but instrument access is restricted and maneuverability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid scope structures with flexible tubes made of materials such as Nitinol and elastic polymers. These flexible tubes can be expanded to accommodate instruments of varying sizes and shapes, enabling better instrument access and maneuverability in tight anatomical regions like the spine while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs expandable flexible tubes that can transition from a compressed delivery state to an expanded working state. This dynamic transformation allows the tube to accommodate different instrument sizes and shapes during the procedure, improving ease of operation without requiring multiple rigid scopes of different diameters.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If smaller endoscopes are used to reduce incision size, then minimally invasive benefits are achieved, but the need for different access methods increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible tube system allows the endoscope to be introduced through a small incision in a compressed state, minimizing tissue trauma. Once positioned, the tube can be expanded to provide adequate working channel diameter, eliminating the need for larger incisions while maintaining access versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested configuration where the flexible tube is delivered in a compressed state within a delivery system, then expanded at the target site. This nesting approach allows the tube to pass through small incisions while providing a larger working lumen when expanded, reducing tissue trauma without compromising access capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If rigid cannulas are used to provide stable access pathways, then access stability is improved, but the ability to accommodate varying instrument sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible tube transitions from a stable compressed configuration during delivery to an stable expanded configuration during use. In the expanded state, the tube provides a stable access pathway that can accommodate instruments of varying sizes, combining the stability of rigid cannulas with the adaptability of flexible structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the access pathway from a fixed small diameter (in rigid cannulas) to a variable diameter that can be expanded. This parameter change allows the pathway to accommodate different instrument sizes while maintaining stability through the expanded tubular structure supported by Nitinol or elastic polymer materials.
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
FASTER systems enhance surgical access and maneuverability by creating safer, versatile pathways that conform to anatomical constraints, allowing larger instruments to be used without increasing the outer diameter, thus improving surgical outcomes and reducing tissue trauma.
Implementation Method 1
The tubes will be expandible to varing degrees based by using Nitinol sleeves that can be introduced inside the tubular component, then deployed and expanded to varing degrees based on the diameter of exposure needed
Data Source
AI summary
Flexible access supplementation tubes for endoscopic exposure and retraction that include at least a first flexible tube comprising a material suitable for insertion into a human, and a second flexible tube comprising a material suitable for insertion into a human, in which the first and second flexible tubes are interconnected with each other, and in which at least one of the first flexible tube or the second flexible tube is a size suitable to accommodate an instrument therein. Also provided are kits that include the present devices, and methods of using the present devices on a patient in need thereof.