Surgical Forceps with Pivot-Actuated Knife and Disposable Jaws
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical forceps lack a cost-effective and efficient mechanism for sealing and severing tissue, as they require disposable components that are not easily replaceable or reusable, leading to increased surgical costs.
Innovation Solution
A surgical forceps design featuring a pair of shaft members with pivotable jaw members and a knife assembly, where the knife blade is mechanically keyed to a pivot pin and actuator arms, allowing for movement from an initial position within the jaw members to an extended position between them, facilitated by a spring and cam mechanism, enabling precise cutting of sealed tissue, and incorporating disposable jaw housings and seal plates for electrosurgical energy application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical forceps use disposable components for tissue sealing and cutting, then reliability and sterility are improved, but surgical costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps is divided into disposable components (jaw members, seal plates, knife assembly) and reusable components (shaft members, pivot pin, actuator arms). The disposable jaw members include electrosurgical seal plates that can be easily attached and removed from the reusable shaft members, allowing sterilization of reusable parts while discarding disposable parts after single use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs disposable jaw members with electrosurgical seal plates and a disposable knife assembly that are designed for single-use to ensure sterility and reliability. These disposable components are replaced after each procedure, while the expensive reusable shaft members and mechanisms are sterilized and reused, optimizing the balance between cost and sterility.
2Reliability
If surgical forceps use disposable components, then sterility is improved, but cost-effectiveness worsens due to inability to reuse parts
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps system is segmented into disposable jaw members with seal plates and reusable shaft members with actuation mechanisms. This segmentation allows the expensive reusable components to be sterilized and reused multiple times, while only the disposable jaw members need to be replaced, significantly improving cost-effectiveness compared to entirely disposable instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable jaw members with electrosurgical seal plates are discarded after single use to maintain sterility, while the reusable shaft members, pivot pin, and actuator arms are recovered, sterilized, and reused for subsequent procedures, reducing overall surgical costs.
3Manufacturing precision
If the knife blade is mechanically keyed to the pivot pin and actuator arms, then cutting precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The knife blade is mechanically keyed to the pivot pin and actuator arms, merging the cutting function with the existing pivot mechanism. This integration ensures that knife extension is precisely controlled by the same mechanical action that controls jaw movement, achieving accurate cutting without requiring separate complex actuation systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife assembly is designed to be automatically actuated by the spring and cam mechanism that is already part of the forceps system. When the shaft members are manipulated, the spring-driven cam mechanism automatically extends the knife blade to the precise position needed for cutting, eliminating the need for separate manual positioning mechanisms.
4Productivity
If a spring and cam mechanism is used to extend the knife blade, then procedural efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is pre-loaded in the un-actuated position to store mechanical energy. When the shaft members are manipulated during the surgical procedure, the spring automatically drives the cam mechanism to extend the knife blade to the precise cutting position, eliminating the need for separate manual actuation steps and improving procedural efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-cam mechanism is self-actuating through the manipulation of the shaft members. The mechanical energy stored in the spring automatically drives the knife blade extension without requiring additional controls or mechanisms, simplifying the overall operation while maintaining precise cutting capability.
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 design allows for efficient tissue sealing and cutting while reducing surgical costs by enabling the reuse of sterilizable components and easy replacement of disposable parts, improving procedural efficiency and reducing equipment needs.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator arm(s) is coupled to a spring at an end thereof. The spring is moveable between an at-rest position and an extended position to move the actuator arm(s) between the un-actuated position and the actuated position
Implementation Method 2
A first cam slot is defined within one of the shaft members and a second cam slot is defined within the actuator arm(s). A cam pin is disposed through each of the first and second cam slots
Implementation Method 3
The knife blade is mechanically keyed to the pivot pin and moveable between an initial position, wherein the knife blade is disposed within one of the jaw members, and an extended position, wherein the knife blade extends between the jaw members
Implementation Method 4
incorporating disposable jaw housings and seal plates for electrosurgical energy application
Data Source
AI summary
A forceps includes a pair of shafts each having a jaw member disposed at a distal end thereof. One (or both) of the shafts is moveable relative to the other about a pivot pin between a spaced-apart position and an approximated position to move the jaw members between an open position and a closed position. A knife assembly includes a knife blade mechanically keyed to the pivot pin and moveable between an initial position, wherein the knife blade is disposed within one of the jaw members, and an extended position, wherein the knife blade extends between the jaw members. An actuator arm(s) is mechanically keyed to the pivot pin and extends therefrom. The actuator arm(s) is moveable between an un-actuated position and an actuated position to rotate the pivot pin relative to the jaw members to move the knife blade between the initial position and the extended position.