Flexible Surgical Halo for Camera Lens Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional techniques for maintaining camera visibility during minimally invasive surgery are reactive and fail to prevent soiling of the camera lens, leading to frequent interruptions and increased surgical time, which can be hazardous, especially when dealing with critical procedures involving major arteries.
Innovation Solution
A flexible surgical halo with an elastically deformable body, comprising a tube portion attached to a cannula and a canopy portion that routes liquids to the outer edge, preventing them from reaching the camera lens and reducing the risk of soiling, while being deformable for entry through smaller incisions and returning to its original shape inside the body cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a camera is inserted into the body cavity via a surgical port to provide vision, then the surgeon can visualize the area inside the body cavity, but the camera lens becomes vulnerable to soiling from blood and body fluids that drip down from the surgical port
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transparent shield or barrier positioned between the surgical port and the camera lens. This intermediary structure allows light to pass through while blocking blood and body fluids from reaching the lens, thus maintaining both visibility and lens cleanliness during the surgical procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a hydrophobic or oleophobic coating to the camera lens or surrounding structures before the surgical procedure begins. This preliminary protective layer prevents blood and body fluids from adhering to the lens surface, thereby maintaining clear vision without requiring interruptions for cleaning
2Reliability
If conventional cleaning techniques are used to maintain camera visibility by removing the camera and cleaning it outside the body cavity, then the lens can be cleaned, but surgery must be paused frequently which extends surgical duration and increases patient risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-cleaning mechanism where a wiper or cleaning element is positioned within the body cavity near the camera lens. This internal cleaning system can actively remove blood and fluids from the lens in real-time without requiring the camera to be removed or the surgery to be paused, thus maintaining continuous visibility and reducing surgical time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a transparent shield or barrier positioned between the surgical port and the camera lens. This intermediary structure allows light to pass through while blocking blood and body fluids from reaching the lens, thus maintaining both visibility and lens cleanliness during the surgical procedure
3Illumination intensity
If the surgical port is made large enough to provide vision directly, then the surgeon could see without a camera, but the surgical port would cause more damage to the patient's body and increase infection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transparent shield or barrier positioned between the surgical port and the camera lens. This intermediary structure allows light to pass through while blocking blood and body fluids from reaching the lens, thus maintaining both visibility and lens cleanliness during the surgical procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the need for a large mechanical opening (surgical port) with a minimally invasive port combined with optical technology (camera and lighting). This substitution allows the surgeon to obtain clear vision through a small port without the tissue damage and infection risks associated with large open incisions
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 surgical halo effectively shields the camera and other surgical instruments from soiling, reducing the need for frequent cleaning and minimizing disruptions during surgery, thereby enhancing surgical safety and efficiency by maintaining continuous visibility and reducing anesthesia time.
Implementation Method 1
The surgical halo is elastically deformable, which allows it to be deformed during entry into a body cavity (e.g., to reduce its cross-sectional area, allowing for entry via an incision or cannula that has a smaller cross-sectional area than the surgical halo in a dormant state) and return to its original configuration once inside the body cavity
Implementation Method 2
The canopy portion is configured to route liquids along an upper surface or an outer edge of the canopy. The canopy portion has a lower surface configured to ensure that liquid remains on the upper surface or the outer edge (or drips off of the outer edge), without reaching the tube portion
Data Source
AI summary
Tools and techniques for a flexible surgical halo are described. Flexible surgical halo tools and techniques are usable to impede a flow of a liquid and route the liquid away from a device attached to or beneath the flexible surgical halo. In one example, a flexible surgical halo includes an elastically deformable body including a tube portion and a canopy portion. The tube portion is configured for attachment to an outer surface of a device, and the canopy portion is configured to route liquids along an upper surface or an outer edge of the canopy. The canopy portion has a lower surface configured to ensure that liquid is unable to reach the tube portion. In this way, flexible surgical halo tools and techniques provide the ability to shield a surgical instrument from becoming soiled by liquid inside of a body cavity.