Electrosurgical Forceps Knife with Insulative Spacer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrosurgical forceps require a separate step for tissue severing after treatment, which can be inefficient and may lead to inaccuracies in cutting the treated tissue.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a knife with a distal edge having a sharp upper segment and a dull lower segment that is selectively translatable between jaw members, where the lower segment abuts an insulative spacer, allowing precise cutting and preventing further movement to ensure complete severance, and an elongate shell that guides the knife along a longitudinal axis while resisting lateral and vertical movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a separate tissue severing step is used after treatment, then the treatment and cutting functions are performed separately, but this reduces efficiency and may lead to inaccuracies in cutting the treated tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the treatment function (electrosurgical jaws) and cutting function (knife mechanism) into a single integrated electrosurgical forceps device. The knife is selectively deployable from the forceps to sever tissue after treatment, eliminating the need for separate instruments and improving both cutting accuracy and surgical efficiency.
2Productivity
If the knife is made fully sharp for cutting, then cutting efficiency is maximized, but the knife may slip or cause unintended tissue damage during translation
Solution Approach 1:
The knife is designed with differential edge properties: a sharp upper segment for effective tissue cutting and a dull lower segment that abuts the insulative spacer. This local quality differentiation ensures the sharp portion performs cutting while the dull portion provides stable positioning and prevents slippage during translation, resolving the contradiction between cutting efficiency and reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the knife is allowed to move freely between jaw members, then the knife can reach the tissue, but the knife may move laterally or vertically causing imprecise cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The insulative spacer acts as an intermediary element between the knife and the jaw members. The dull lower segment of the knife abuts this spacer, which guides the knife's movement and constrains it to a precise path. This intermediary structure enables the knife to reach the tissue while preventing lateral or vertical deviations, ensuring cutting precision.
4Manufacturing precision
If the knife extends fully between the jaw members, then complete tissue severance is achieved, but the knife may protrude too far causing damage to surrounding structures
Solution Approach 1:
The knife design includes a predetermined stop point where the dull lower segment abuts the insulative spacer. This preliminary positioning action ensures the knife extends far enough to achieve complete tissue severance through the jaws but stops before protruding excessively, preventing damage to surrounding structures. The abutment relationship establishes a safe maximum extension limit.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrosurgical forceps includes first and second shaft members pivotably coupled to one another via a pivot member such that pivoting of the first and second shaft members between spaced-apart and approximated positions pivots jaw members thereof between open and closed positions. A knife is translatable between retracted and extended positions. The knife has a stop to prevent distal movement of the knife beyond the extended position.