Flat Blade Shielded Obturator with Rotatable Switch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trocar obturators with spring-loaded tubular safety shields require significant force to penetrate body walls and may cause unintended cutting due to delayed shield activation, leading to larger incisions and increased actuation time.
Innovation Solution
A flat blade shielded obturator with a rotatable switch that obstructs or aligns with the shaft to control the movement of a movable blade shield, allowing controlled exposure and retraction of the blade for cutting, minimizing insertion force and preventing unnecessary cutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring-loaded tubular safety shield is used to cover the obturator tip, then the blade is protected after penetration, but the shield requires considerable time to move and has relatively large mass
Solution Approach 1:
The shield is designed to be movable along the longitudinal axis of the shaft, transitioning from a static covered state to a dynamic exposed state. The movable shield can be displaced to expose the blade for cutting and then returned to cover it after penetration, providing controlled protection rather than continuous coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The obturator is divided into a fixed portion and a movable portion, with the shield being the movable part. This segmentation allows the shield to be independently controlled to expose or cover the blade as needed, rather than moving the entire obturator assembly.
2Reliability
If a spring-loaded tubular safety shield is used, then the blade is covered after penetration, but larger incisions are required and considerable force is needed for penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is pre-exposed by displacing the movable shield before penetration occurs. This preliminary exposure ensures the blade is ready to cut immediately upon contact with tissue, eliminating the need for additional force to penetrate through the shield and reducing the size of the required incision.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield's position parameter is changed from a fixed retracted state to a displaced exposed state, allowing the blade to extend beyond the cannula tip. This parameter change enables the blade to engage tissue directly without requiring the shield to be overcome during penetration.
3Ease of operation
If the obturator tip is suddenly free after penetration, then resistance is removed, but the tip can cause additional unintended cutting in the body cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The surgeon has direct control over the shield's position through manual manipulation. After penetration, the surgeon can actively displace the movable shield to cover the blade, providing immediate feedback control to stop the cutting action and prevent unintended damage to internal structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable shield is designed to be manually operable by the surgeon during the procedure. The surgeon can independently control the shield's position to expose the blade when needed and cover it when the cutting action should cease, making the safety mechanism self-controlled rather than automatically spring-loaded.
Data Source
AI summary
A shielded bladed obturator is provided with a shield lockout that prevents retraction of a shield to expose a blade for cutting. The shield lockout in one aspect has a rotational switch interacting with a longitudinal extending shield to lock and unlock the shield. A blade exposure and coverage system is also provided.