Flexible Arthroscopic Cannula with Suture Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Arthroscopic surgery faces challenges in accessing difficult-to-reach joint areas and managing sutures effectively, with existing portal access devices being inflexible, difficult to use, and incompatible with standard instrumentation, and suture management leading to errors and increased surgical time and risk.
Innovation Solution
A flexible portal cannula system with distally positioned flanges and a cannula clip that provides high flexibility and ease of use, while maintaining compatibility with standard cannula placement techniques, and includes a suture sorter to manage sutures efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid portal cannula is used, then the cannula provides stable retention in the surgical portal, but the cannula cannot access difficult-to-reach areas of the joint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible portal cannula constructed from elastomeric material that can bend and conform to access difficult-to-reach joint areas while maintaining structural integrity. The flexibility allows the cannula to navigate complex anatomical pathways, and the material properties ensure stable retention through friction and conformal fit against surrounding tissues.
Solution Approach 2:
The cannula transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that can adapt its shape during insertion and positioning. The flexible design allows the cannula to dynamically conform to the surgical portal geometry and joint anatomy, enabling access to various locations while maintaining stable retention through continuous contact with surrounding tissues.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible portal cannula is used, then the cannula can access difficult-to-reach joint areas, but the cannula provides poor retention within the surgical portal
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric flexible cannula maintains reliable retention through its material properties, which provide sufficient friction and conformal fit against the surgical portal tissues. The flexibility allows the cannula to adapt to the portal geometry while the elastomeric material ensures stable positioning through continuous contact and resistance to displacement.
3Ease of operation
If standard portal placement techniques are used with flexible cannulas, then the delivery process becomes complex and difficult to use, but rigid cannulas are incompatible with flexible instrument access
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible portal cannula is designed to be compatible with standard portal placement techniques and instrumentation, allowing it to function universally with existing surgical tools and methods. The cannula can be delivered using conventional switching sticks and guide wires, eliminating the need for specialized delivery systems and simplifying the overall surgical workflow.
4Loss of time
If suture management is not organized, then suture pairing errors occur increasing surgical time and risk, but organized suture management requires additional device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cannula incorporates segmented suture management features including pairs of slots positioned at specific locations to organize and identify individual sutures from double-loaded anchors. The slots are arranged to clearly distinguish suture pairs, and identifying marks are placed at predetermined positions to facilitate rapid, accurate suture pairing without requiring complex external management systems.
5Productivity
If tissue compression is applied during arthroscopy, then tissue retraction is improved, but tissue trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cannula incorporates adjustable compression features that allow the surgeon to modify the degree and distribution of tissue compression. By changing the compression parameters through adjustable mechanisms, the system achieves effective tissue retraction for improved surgical access while minimizing trauma through controlled, adjustable force application rather than fixed high-compression designs.
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 system allows for better retention of the cannula within the surgical site, reduces suture management errors, and enhances surgical efficiency by providing incremental tissue compression and clear suture organization, thereby minimizing surgical time and trauma.
Implementation Method 1
flanges extend radially outwardly from the outer surface of the cannula and are resiliently foldable to lie against the outer surface of the cannula during insertion into an incision, and resiliently biased to return to the radially outwardly extending position when unconstrained
Implementation Method 2
a clip disposed on the cannula outer surface outside of the arthroscopic workspace acts to clamp tissue disposed between the clip and the flaps. Ridges on the shaft of the cannula allow for incremental adjustment of the level at which the clip may be secured to effect compression of tissue between the flaps and the clip
Implementation Method 3
The clip can easily be frictionally engaged to the cannula after insertion to the desired compression
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible portal cannula for use in arthroscopic surgery. Distally positioned flaps extend radially outwardly from the outer surface of the cannula and are resiliently foldable to lie against the outer surface of the cannula during insertion into a surgical portal, and resiliently biased to return to the radially outwardly extending position when unconstrained. Slots disposed around the perimeter of the flaps for anchoring and sorting sutures.