Integrated Sensors in Surgical Stapler Jaws for Tissue Grasping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In minimally-invasive surgery, particularly with surgical staplers, it is challenging to determine if tissue is optimally grasped before firing staples due to limited surgical view, leading to potential tissue damage and complications from improper stapling.
Innovation Solution
Integration of sensors on or around the clamping area of surgical staplers to detect tissue characteristics such as clamping force, center of force application, and tissue stiffness, providing real-time feedback to surgeons and potentially integrating with robotic systems for automated guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are integrated into the surgical stapler to detect tissue characteristics, then measurement precision and reliability of stapling operation are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple sensing capabilities (force sensing, position sensing, temperature sensing) directly into the surgical stapler device itself, combining these previously separate measurement functions into a single unified tool. This allows comprehensive tissue characterization during stapling while maintaining a cohesive device architecture rather than requiring multiple separate instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical stapler is designed to perform multiple functions: it can staple tissue, sense force during clamping, detect tissue position, monitor temperature, and provide real-time feedback to the surgeon. This multi-functional approach allows one device to replace what would traditionally require multiple separate tools, improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If real-time feedback is provided to the surgeon during stapling operation, then reliability of stapling operation is improved, but loss of time for data processing and transmission increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors tissue characteristics during the stapling operation and provides real-time feedback to the surgeon through the user interface. This allows the surgeon to adjust clamping force, reposition tissue, or modify other parameters immediately based on sensor data, ensuring optimal stapling conditions are maintained throughout the procedure and improving overall reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides feedback before the stapling operation is completed, allowing the surgeon to make necessary adjustments to tissue positioning or clamping force in advance. This preliminary feedback mechanism prevents improper stapling from occurring in the first place, rather than detecting problems after they have already caused damage.
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to detect various tissue characteristics, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing system is divided into separate modular sensor components (force sensor, position sensor, temperature sensor) that can be independently manufactured and then integrated into the stapler device. This segmentation allows each sensor type to be optimized for its specific function while simplifying the overall manufacturing process compared to creating a single complex multi-functional sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent measures tissue characteristics across multiple dimensions simultaneously - mechanical properties through force sensing, spatial properties through position sensing, and thermal properties through temperature sensing. This multi-dimensional measurement approach provides comprehensive tissue characterization that no single sensor could achieve, improving measurement precision through complementary measurements in different physical domains.
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
Enhances the stapling process by ensuring proper tissue grasping, reducing the risk of complications and improving surgical outcomes through precise control and feedback.
Implementation Method 1
the force sensor is a capacitive sensor mounted to the first anvil
Implementation Method 2
at least one magnet coupled to the first anvil and at least one Hall effect sensor coupled to the second anvil
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical stapler for a surgical robotic system, the surgical stapler including a jaw coupled to a base, the jaw having a first anvil that moves relative to a second anvil between an open position and a closed position; and a force sensor operable to detect a force applied to the jaw.