Interconnectable Port System for Minimally Invasive Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive surgical techniques, such as laparoscopic and arthroscopic surgeries, face limitations in handling larger specimens and are prone to complications that often require conversion to open surgery, leading to increased postoperative hospital stay and higher complication rates.
Innovation Solution
A medical device featuring an interconnectable port system that allows for the transition between endoscopic and open surgical procedures. The port system comprises a first and second port that can be interconnected to form a chamber for endoscopic procedures, and can be disconnected to allow for the removal and handling of larger specimens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive surgical techniques (laparoscopic/arthroscopic) are used, then scarring and post-operative hospital stay are minimized, but the ability to handle and remove larger specimens is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The port system is divided into multiple separable components (first port, second port, wall port, body port) that can be disconnected from each other. This segmentation allows the system to transition from a closed endoscopic configuration to an open configuration, enabling removal of larger specimens while maintaining the benefits of minimally invasive access for the majority of the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The port system is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable during surgery. The ports can be interconnected to maintain a sealed cavity for endoscopic work, or disconnected to create an open pathway for specimen removal. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction between maintaining minimal invasiveness and handling larger specimens.
2Strength
If minimally invasive procedures are performed through small incisions, then tissue trauma is reduced, but the size of objects that can be transferred into or out of the body is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The detachable port system acts as an intermediary mechanism between the small incision site and the larger specimens. The ports can be connected to maintain minimal access during endoscopic work, then disconnected to facilitate passage of larger objects through the same small incision, effectively mediating between the conflicting requirements of small incision size and large specimen size.
3Adaptability or versatility
If laparoscopic surgery is converted to open surgery due to complications or large specimen size, then larger specimens can be removed, but post-operative complications and hospital stay increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by establishing the detachable port infrastructure before complications arise or before large specimens need removal. This pre-configured capability allows seamless transition to specimen removal mode without requiring emergency conversion to open surgery, thereby avoiding the increased complications and hospital stay associated with unplanned conversions.
4Illumination intensity
If a sealed cavity is maintained for endoscopic procedures, then proper inflation and visualization are achieved, but removal of larger specimens requires releasing the seal and CO2 gas
Solution Approach 1:
The port system is segmented into detachable components that can be separated to create an open pathway. This segmentation allows the surgical team to maintain the sealed CO2-inflated cavity for endoscopic visualization, then disconnect the port to create an open channel for specimen removal without requiring complete deflation or loss of the working cavity.
Solution Approach 2:
The port configuration dynamically transitions from a connected state that maintains the sealed cavity for optimal endoscopic visualization to a disconnected state that enables open specimen removal. This dynamic reconfiguration resolves the contradiction between maintaining the sealed environment for visualization and creating an open pathway for specimen extraction.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device for performing a surgical procedure on a patient, when performing an incision in the patient's body for communication with a body cavity. The medical device comprises a wall adapted to be applied exteriorly on the patient's body to form a chamber, in which a sealed environment can be maintained for encompassing part of the surgical procedure to be performed. The medical device further comprises a sealing device adapted to seal between the medical device and the patient's body, to allow the chamber to be in fluid connection with a cavity in the patient's body, sealed from an ambient environment, and at least one of a first port detachably fixed to the wall for enabling access to and manipulation within the chamber, or a first inset detachably fixed to the wall and forming part of the chamber.