Expandable Tissue Dilator Single-Pass Spinal Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional dilators used in minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as those for spinal access, often cause muscle trauma and nerve damage due to multiple passes through tissue, which increases procedure time and risk of injury.

Innovation Solution

An expandable tissue dilator with a housing, shaft, and an expandable member, such as a balloon, that allows for single-pass dilation, reducing the likelihood of traumatic impingement on nerves and muscle tissue by expanding radially to create a working channel.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple conventional dilators are used in sequence to dilate tissue, then the tissue can be sufficiently dilated for surgical access, but the procedure time increases and the risk of muscle trauma and nerve damage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical access reliabilityVSAvoidprocedure time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple dilators into a single expandable dilator device. The dilator includes a shaft with an expandable member (balloon) that can be inflated to provide progressive dilation in a single procedure step, eliminating the need for multiple sequential dilators and reducing procedure time while maintaining reliable surgical access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The dilator employs a dynamic expandable member (balloon) that transitions from a compressed state during insertion to an expanded state for dilation. This dynamic structure allows the device to adapt its diameter progressively, providing sufficient dilation for surgical access without requiring multiple static dilators of increasing size

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If multiple conventional dilators are used in sequence to dilate tissue, then the tissue can be sufficiently dilated for surgical access, but the risk of muscle trauma and nerve damage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurgical access reliabilityVSAvoidmuscle trauma and nerve damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the harmful effect of repeated mechanical trauma from multiple dilators into a beneficial single-pass expansion process. The expandable balloon provides progressive dilation through controlled inflation, transforming the harmful repetitive mechanical action into a single, controlled expansion that reduces muscle trauma and nerve damage risk

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Productivity

If a single expandable dilator is used instead of multiple conventional dilators, then procedure time is reduced and tissue trauma is minimized, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedilation speedVSAvoiddilator structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a nested structure where the expandable balloon member is contained within the dilator shaft during insertion. The balloon is compressed within the shaft and only expands when needed for dilation, creating a compact device that functions as multiple dilators in one instrument while reducing overall device complexity through integrated design

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

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 expandable dilator reduces muscle trauma and nerve damage, shortens procedure time, and minimizes tissue disruption by enabling a single instrument to replace multiple dilators, facilitating smoother access to the spinal column.

Implementation Method 1

An expandable member attached to the housing is expandable around a portion of the shaft to dilate the pierced tissue

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadial expansion:

Data Source

PatentUS11395907B2Expandable tissue dilator for dilating tissue around a spinal column

Publication Date: 2022.07.26 GLOBUS MEDICAL INC

AI summary

An expandable tissue dilator for dilating tissue around a spinal column includes a housing and a shaft at least partially positioned distally of the housing and adapted to pierce a tissue around the spinal column. An expandable member attached to the housing expands around a portion of the shaft to dilate the pierced tissue in a single-pass dilation resulting in a reduction of any traumatic impingement of nerves or muscle tissue and reduction in procedure time.