Laparoscopic Hydro-Dissection Jaws With Integrated Suction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional laparoscopic instruments face challenges in safely dissecting tissues that are swollen and edematous, as they risk disrupting unseen blood vessels and ducts, leading to complications such as spillage of toxic contents and hemorrhage, especially in conditions like gangrenous cholecystitis where anatomical landmarks are obscured.
Innovation Solution
The development of laparoscopic instruments that incorporate hydro dissection, suction, and irrigation capabilities in a single device, utilizing double-action jaws with flexible fluid channels and a self-contained fluid pump, allowing for atraumatic tissue separation by pressurized fluid jets, reducing mechanical disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical dissection is used with traditional laparoscopic instruments, then tissue separation is achieved, but risk of disrupting unrecognized blood vessels and ducts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical dissection with hydro dissection using pressurized fluid jets. The fluid jet system delivers controlled streams of fluid that separate tissue planes without the mechanical force that causes disruption of blood vessels and ducts. This substitution fundamentally changes the dissection mechanism from mechanical to hydraulic, eliminating the harmful mechanical tearing action.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic principles by using pressurized fluid jets delivered through catheters. The fluid is pumped at controlled pressures to create jets that dissect tissue planes. This hydraulic approach allows for precise control of dissection depth and direction, preventing penetration into deeper structures like blood vessels and ducts that would be at risk with mechanical instruments.
2Ease of operation
If blunt dissection is performed in swollen and edematous tissue, then anatomical structures can be isolated, but tissue trauma and disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical blunt dissection with hydro dissection using pressurized fluid jets. The fluid jets separate tissue planes through hydraulic pressure and fluid dynamics rather than mechanical spreading and tearing. This is particularly beneficial in swollen, edematous tissue where mechanical dissection would cause excessive trauma and where anatomical landmarks are obscured.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of dissection by using fluid pressure and flow rate instead of mechanical force. The pressurized fluid jets can be adjusted in pressure and flow to match the consistency and swelling of the tissue, allowing effective dissection of edematous tissue without causing the same degree of trauma as mechanical instruments.
3Reliability
If multiple separate instruments are used for dissection, irrigation, and suction, then each function can be optimized, but device complexity and procedure time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (dissection, irrigation, suction) into a single integrated instrument system. The hydro dissection catheter is combined with irrigation channels and suction capabilities in one device. This merging reduces the number of separate instruments needed, simplifies the procedural workflow, and eliminates the need for multiple instrument exchanges while maintaining optimized functionality for each task.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal instrument that performs multiple functions: hydro dissection, irrigation, and suction. The single instrument system can switch between these functions as needed during the procedure. This multi-functionality maintains the optimized performance of each individual function while eliminating the complexity of using multiple separate specialized instruments.
4Productivity
If mechanical dissection is used in gangrenous cholecystitis, then gallbladder removal can be performed, but complications from disrupting obscured structures increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical dissection with hydro dissection in the context of gangrenous cholecystitis. The pressurized fluid jets can carefully separate the gallbladder from surrounding tissues without the mechanical tearing that would disrupt obscured blood vessels and ducts. This is critical in gangrenous cases where the gallbladder wall is weakened and anatomical landmarks are not visible, reducing the risk of bile spillage and hemorrhage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses hydraulic control through pressurized fluid jets to perform dissection in the challenging environment of gangrenous cholecystitis. The fluid jets provide precise control over the dissection process, allowing the surgeon to work in obscured anatomical conditions without the uncontrolled mechanical forces that would lead to complications. The irrigation component also helps clear the surgical field of debris and blood, improving visibility.
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 instruments provide safer and more efficient dissection of anatomical structures by minimizing tissue trauma, reducing procedure time, and lowering patient morbidity and mortality, particularly in challenging surgical scenarios like gangrenous cholecystitis.
Implementation Method 1
delivering a pressurized fluid jet lateral to each jaw to perform hydro dissection of the soft tissue
Implementation Method 2
a flexible tube extending between each jaw and the distal end of the shaft to fluidly couple the outlet of the respective jaw to the one or more shaft channels
Data Source
AI summary
A laparoscopic instrument includes fluid carrying channels incorporated into lateral aspects of jaws of the instrument and extending to outlets adjacent distal tips of the jaws, fluid carrying channels incorporated into a shaft of the instrument, and flexible fluid carrying channels connecting the distal ends of the shaft channels with the proximal end of respective jaw channels. An actuator on the device handle controls either delivery of fluid jets emanating lateral to tissue grasped between the instrument jaws or suction from the distal tips of the jaws to remove fluid in the vicinity of the jaws. The fluid jets perform atraumatic tissue dissection lateral to the structures grasped by the jaws, while the grasping jaws provide counter traction while conducting soft tissue hydro-dissection, by stabilizing the tissue in a direction opposite to the force exerted by the hydro-dissection fluid jets.