Surgical Forceps with Orthogonal Orientation Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
In minimally invasive surgical procedures for colon and rectal cancer, surgeons face challenges in accurately determining the optimal distal resection margin due to lack of tactile feedback, especially in obese patients where external tumor markers may be obscured, leading to potential removal of too much healthy tissue or incomplete tumor resection.
Innovation Solution
A surgical forceps equipped with a 5-degrees-of-freedom position sensor that senses orientation relative to two axes orthogonal to the axis of rotation, allowing precise tracking of the cutting plane and distance to a tumor, enabling accurate stapling and cutting while minimizing healthy tissue removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a full 6-degrees-of-freedom position sensor is used to track the surgical forceps, then the positioning accuracy and orientation detection would be complete, but the device complexity and cost would significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary measurement components from a full 6-DOF sensor system. By removing the third orientation sensor (yaw) that is not needed for calculating grasp location and distance to tumors, the system achieves the same surgical guidance functionality with reduced device complexity and lower cost while maintaining adequate measurement precision for the specific surgical application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by tailoring the sensor capabilities to the specific requirements of the surgical task. Instead of providing uniform full 6-DOF measurement in all orientations, the system provides precise measurement only in the two orientations (pitch and roll) that are critical for determining the cutting plane position and distance to tumors, while the third orientation (yaw) is omitted as it does not significantly influence the surgical outcome
2Ease of manufacture
If external tumor markers (tattoos) are used to guide stapler placement, then the procedure is simple and cost-effective, but the markers may be missed in obese patients or vanish over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an electromagnetic tracking system as an intermediary between the surgeon and the tumor location. Instead of relying directly on visible external markers that may be obscured or faded, the system uses internal electromagnetic sensors that continuously track the position and orientation of the surgical forceps relative to the tumor, providing reliable real-time guidance independent of external marker visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/visual guidance system (external tattoos) with an electromagnetic tracking system. The electromagnetic field-based positioning eliminates dependence on visual markers, providing reliable and continuous feedback on the distance between the cutting plane and the tumor location regardless of patient body habitus or time elapsed since tattooing
3Device complexity
If a 5-degrees-of-freedom position sensor is used instead of a 6-degrees-of-freedom sensor, then the cost and complexity are reduced, but potentially one orientation measurement is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by measuring only the specific orientations that are sufficient for the surgical task. Instead of measuring all three orientations (pitch, roll, yaw) as a full 6-DOF sensor would, the system measures only pitch and roll orientations, which provide adequate information for calculating the cutting plane position and distance to tumors, accepting that the third orientation (yaw) information is not needed for the primary surgical guidance objective
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
This solution enhances the accuracy of tissue grasping and cutting, reducing the risk of local recurrence by ensuring adequate resection margins and preserving bowel function, while being cost-effective and compatible with legacy forceps.
Implementation Method 1
a position sensor configured to sense a location, a first orientation with respect to a first axis, and a second orientation with respect to a second axis different from the first axis
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical forceps comprises a first jaw (101) and a second jaw (102), the first jaw (101) and the second jaw (102) being configured to be rotated relative to each other around an axis of rotation (104). A position sensor (105) is capable of sensing a first orientation with respect to a first axis (106) and a second orientation with respect to a second axis (107) different from the first axis (106), wherein the first axis (106) and the second axis (107) are orthogonal to the axis of rotation (104). The surgical forceps comprises a stapler (108) for stapling a tissue grasped by the surgical forceps (100) and a cutter (103) for cutting the tissue grasped by the surgical forceps (100) along a line.