Flexible Laparoscopic Port with Resilient Rings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laparoscopic surgery ports restrict instrument movement and flexibility due to rigid construction, limited access points, and high costs, which hampers surgeons' ability to improvise and increases the number of incisions required, especially in single-incision procedures.
Innovation Solution
A laparoscopic port with a flexible membrane providing an air-tight seal and multiple instrument access points, allowing for easy attachment to a wound protector, with resilient ring members to prevent twisting and enhance stiffness, made from materials like rubber or silicone for flexibility and visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid port construction with fixed access points is used, then manufacturing precision and structural stability are improved, but instrument maneuverability and surgical flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by replacing the rigid fixed access points with flexible tubes that can dynamically adjust their position and orientation. The tubes are connected to the port body through a flexible membrane, allowing them to bend and move independently while maintaining their connection to the port structure. This enables instruments to be maneuvered with greater freedom without compromising the overall port stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible shells and thin films by using a flexible membrane material (such as silicone rubber) to create the port structure and tube connections. The membrane provides both structural integrity and flexibility, allowing the port to maintain its shape while permitting instrument movement. The flexible tubes are essentially thin-walled structures that can bend and flex to accommodate surgical needs.
2Loss of time
If a single incision is used, then patient recovery time and wound complications are improved, but surgical complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the single incision access into multiple functional channels within the port structure. The port contains multiple separate tubes (typically three) that can accommodate different surgical instruments simultaneously. This segmentation allows complex surgical procedures to be performed through a single external incision by providing multiple independent access paths internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs the nested doll principle by placing multiple tubes and instruments within the confines of a single port structure. The tubes are nested within the port body, and instruments are nested within the tubes, creating a hierarchical arrangement that maximizes the utility of the single incision while maintaining organized access to multiple surgical tools.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple fixed access points are provided, then instrument access is improved, but the number of required incisions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single multi-functional port structure that can accommodate multiple different instruments through its multiple tubes. Each tube can accept various surgical instruments, and the port itself serves multiple functions: providing access for instruments, maintaining pneumoperitoneum, and allowing camera insertion. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate incisions for each instrument or function.
4Productivity
If commercial single-incision ports are used, then surgical efficiency is improved, but device cost and kit restrictiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by making the port structure and tubes flexible rather than rigid, which fundamentally changes the mechanical properties of the device. This flexibility parameter change allows the port to adapt to different surgical configurations and instrument types without requiring multiple fixed openings or complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining surgical efficiency.
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 flexible port design enhances instrument maneuverability, reduces the need for additional incisions, and lowers costs, enabling more versatile and efficient single-incision procedures while maintaining sterility and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible membrane extending from said opening, the membrane providing an air-tight seal around the wound
Implementation Method 2
resilient ring members to prevent twisting and enhance stiffness
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3b
Figure 3c~3d
AI summary
A port for laparoscopic surgery comprises an opening for attachment to a wound protector and a flexible membrane extending therefrom to define an airtight seal around an incision in a patient. A plurality of access points are defined in the membrane, through which laparoscopic trocars and elongate laparoscopic surgical instruments can be inserted.