Minimally Invasive Heart Stabilizer with Suction End-Effector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive heart surgeries require a heart stabilizer that can be inserted through small incisions and provide maneuverability within the chest cavity to stabilize the heart without causing unnecessary trauma or prolonged recovery, as traditional open heart surgery methods are invasive and traumatic.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive heart stabilizer is designed with a guide tube, a revolute joint, and a stabilizing end-effector with tissue engaging members that can be actuated to move towards or away from each other, allowing for suction to be applied to the heart surface, and a linkage system that enables the end-effector to pivot and move along a single axis, allowing the heart to beat freely in one direction while stabilizing it in others.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional open heart surgery approach is used with a large stabilizer, then the heart can be effectively stabilized, but the patient experiences significant trauma and prolonged recovery
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer is divided into multiple segments including a guide tube, revolute joint, and end-effector with tissue engaging members. These segmented components can be inserted through small incisions while collectively providing effective heart stabilization, resolving the contradiction between minimally invasive access and stabilization effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The end-effector with tissue engaging members is designed to nest within the guide tube when retracted, allowing the entire stabilizer assembly to pass through small endoscopic access cannulas. This nested configuration enables minimally invasive insertion while maintaining the capability for effective heart stabilization during surgery.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a minimally invasive stabilizer with small components is used, then patient trauma is reduced, but the stabilizer may lack sufficient maneuverability within the chest cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The revolute joint provides dynamic rotational movement capability, allowing the end-effector to pivot and adjust its orientation within the chest cavity. This dynamic mechanism enables the stabilizer to adapt to different surgical positions and angles while maintaining minimal invasiveness, thus improving maneuverability without increasing patient trauma.
3Reliability
If the end-effector is designed to engage tissue firmly for stabilization, then heart stability is improved, but the risk of tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue engaging members are designed with localized suction ports that apply controlled negative pressure to engage the heart surface. This localized engagement provides firm stabilization while distributing forces in a controlled manner, reducing the risk of tissue damage compared to broad mechanical clamping forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer uses pneumatic suction through the tissue engaging members to attach to the heart surface. This pneumatic mechanism provides controlled, adjustable engagement force that secures the heart for stabilization while minimizing tissue damage risk through uniform pressure distribution and easy release 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 stabilizer effectively limits heart motion in all directions except the normal axis, allowing the heart to beat freely while maintaining stability, and includes a measuring device to track movement for feedback to a slave robotic arm, enhancing surgical precision and reducing trauma.
Implementation Method 1
each tissue engaging member may include at least one suction port that may be configured to apply suction to a target tissue during stabilization
Data Source
AI summary
A minimally invasive heart stabilizer includes a guide tube, a revolute joint, a stabilizing end-effector, and a linkage. The guide tube is sized to allow insertion through an endoscopic cannula. The revolute joint is coupled to a distal end of the guide tube. The stabilizing end-effector is coupled to the revolute joint. The linkage has a distal end and a proximal end. The distal end is pivotally connected to the end-effector. The stabilizing end-effector includes two tissue engaging members in parallel alignment with one another. The two tissue engaging members are joined via an arrangement of links.