Hinged Reusable Endocavity Needle Guide for Ultrasound
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing needle guide systems for medical imaging instruments are inadequate as they are often inaccurate, time-consuming, and require disassembly for cleaning and sterilization, leading to potential loss or damage of parts and increased procedural time.
Innovation Solution
A reusable needle guide system with pivotably connected guide members that can be easily mounted and dismounted from imaging instruments, allowing for precise needle placement without disassembly, enabling easy cleaning and reuse while maintaining sterility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If needle guides are designed as two separate plates or members that slide past each other, then the device can be disassembled for cleaning, but the parts may be lost or damaged and reassembly is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guide is divided into two separate plates (first plate and second plate) that can be disassembled for cleaning. Each plate has a channel that together forms the complete needle passage, allowing the device to be taken apart for thorough cleaning while maintaining functional integrity when assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The first and second plates are designed to nest together through complementary features (protrusions and recesses) that guide proper alignment during assembly. This nesting arrangement ensures parts are retained and properly positioned, preventing loss or damage while enabling disassembly for cleaning.
2Ease of manufacture
If needle guides are designed as two separate plates that slide apart, then cleaning is possible, but reassembly is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guide is segmented into two separable plates that can be easily taken apart for cleaning and quickly reassembled. The segmentation allows complete access to internal surfaces for cleaning while the simple plate design minimizes reassembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plates are designed with pre-formed channels and alignment features that are created during manufacturing. This preliminary structuring ensures that when the plates are reassembled after cleaning, they automatically align correctly without requiring complex assembly procedures, thus reducing reassembly time.
3Ease of operation
If hand-held needle direction is used, then the procedure is simple, but accuracy is inadequate and it is time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guide acts as an intermediary device between the operator and the patient's body. It provides a physical guide structure with a channel that constrains needle movement, ensuring accurate placement at the target site while maintaining procedural simplicity through easy attachment to the ultrasound probe.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle guide transforms the operational parameters by fixing the needle's trajectory, angle, and depth through its channel geometry. This changes the needle placement from a freehand variable parameter to a controlled fixed parameter, improving accuracy while keeping the overall procedure simple.
4Reliability
If needle guides are mounted on ultrasonic probes with sterile covers, then sterility is maintained, but cleaning and sterilization costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The needle guide is designed as a reusable device that can be easily cleaned and sterilized, replacing the need for disposable guides. The simple plate construction with smooth surfaces allows for cost-effective sterilization processes, reducing long-term costs compared to continuous use of disposable covers and guides.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding sterile covers and single-use guides, the system allows for recovery and reuse of the needle guide after proper cleaning and sterilization. The design facilitates this recovery process through easy disassembly for cleaning and durable construction that withstands sterilization cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable needle guide suitable for an ultrasonic probe to be use for an endocavity examination of a patient is disclosed. The needle guide basically comprises at least a first and second guide members and a mounting (e.g., clamp) assembly. The clamp assembly serves to releasably mount the needle guide on the probe. The first guide member has a first passageway-forming surface. The second guide member has a second passageway-forming surface. The guide members are connected together to enable them to be pivoted from a closed orientation to an open orientation and vice versa. The first and second passageway-forming surfaces form an elongated passageway to guide a needle therethrough when in the closed orientation. The first and second passageway-forming surfaces are disposed at an angle to each other when they are in the open orientation, whereupon the first and second passageway-forming surfaces can be readily cleaned.