Flexible Shaft Circular Stapler for Deep Cavity Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current circular stapling devices with rigid shafts struggle to access surgical sites in the ascending or transverse colon during colectomy procedures, leading to increased patient trauma and recovery time due to their inability to navigate complex body cavities effectively.
Innovation Solution
A flexible surgical stapling device with a flexible elongate body comprising a flexible outer tube, a flexible central tube, and a flexible inner cable, allowing the tool assembly to access deep body cavities, and featuring a reload assembly, anvil assembly, and a knife assembly for stapling and tissue cutting, with components like a trocar and annular knife blade for precise operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid shaft is used in a circular stapling device, then structural stability and control are improved, but the ability to access deep body cavities and navigate complex anatomical paths deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple telescoping segments that can extend and retract relative to each other. The distal segment can be advanced through the proximal segment, allowing the shaft to lengthen and navigate deep body cavities while maintaining structural integrity through the segmented design
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping segments are nested within each other, with the distal segment housed inside the proximal segment. This nested configuration allows the shaft to compact for insertion while extending to reach deep surgical sites, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and structural stability
2Ease of operation
If a rigid shaft is used in a circular stapling device, then ease of control during operation is improved, but the ability to navigate complex anatomical paths deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic telescoping structure that can adapt its configuration. The segments can move relative to each other to navigate anatomical paths while the operator maintains control through the handle assembly's drive mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping segments act as intermediaries between the operator's control inputs and the distal end effector. The segmented structure transmits control forces while accommodating anatomical variations, bridging the gap between ease of control and navigability
3Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive access is achieved using a flexible shaft, then patient trauma and recovery time are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft employs flexible segments that can bend and flex to navigate body cavities, replacing rigid structures with flexible components. This flexibility enables minimally invasive access through smaller incisions, reducing patient trauma while the modular segmented design manages the complexity through standardized components
Data Source
AI summary
A circular stapling device includes an elongate body having a flexible outer tube that supports a reload assembly, a flexible inner cable that supports an anvil assembly, and a flexible central tube that is supported about the inner cable and within the outer tube. The stapling device is configured to access body cavities which cannot be easily accessed by a circular stapling device having a rigid shaft.