Laparoscopic Energy Treatment Instrument with Knife Wire Locking Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

In laparoscopic hysterectomy and supracervical hysterectomy procedures, existing devices face challenges in performing straight incisions due to the need for coordinated manipulation of the uterus manipulator, excision device, and laparoscope, and the snare device's loop often gets stuck on irregular uterine shapes, limiting its effectiveness.

Innovation Solution

An energy treatment device with a pair of arms that can open and close to accommodate a knife wire for incising tissues, featuring a locking mechanism that allows the wire to be placed around the treatment site regardless of size, and a manipulation part for easy operation, enabling precise and efficient incisions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a snare device loop is used for excision, then simple and quick excision with high positional accuracy can be performed, but the loop cannot be guided to the excision line when the uterus becomes hypertrophied or has irregular shapes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexcision speedVSAvoidadaptability to hypertrophied uterus
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The device divides the excision function into two separate components: a snare loop for simple excisions and a knife wire for complex cases. The knife wire can be selectively deployed when the snare loop is insufficient, allowing the system to handle both simple and complex uterine excisions effectively.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The knife wire acts as an intermediary tool that bridges the gap between the snare loop and hypertrophied uterine tissue. When the snare loop cannot accommodate irregular or enlarged uteri, the knife wire provides an alternative mechanism for making precise incisions along the excision line.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If a metal wire loop is used for panhysterectomy, then simple and quick excision can be performed, but the loop gets stuck on irregular convexes and concaves of hypertrophied uterus

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation simplicityVSAvoidloop guidance reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of trying to make the rigid metal wire loop more flexible to accommodate irregular uterine shapes, the invention introduces a separate knife wire that can be manipulated independently. The knife wire's flexibility and controllability compensate for the rigidity limitations of the snare loop, allowing reliable guidance along complex excision paths.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameters by switching between two different excision mechanisms. The knife wire offers different mechanical properties compared to the metal wire loop, providing variable stiffness and maneuverability that adapts to the specific geometric constraints of hypertrophied uterine tissue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If coordinated operation of uterus manipulator, excision device, and laparoscope is performed, then straight excision along excision line can be achieved, but the procedure becomes complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveincision accuracyVSAvoidprocedure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention combines the snare loop and knife wire into a single integrated device that can be controlled through unified manipulation. This merging reduces the need for separate coordinated operations of multiple independent devices, simplifying the procedural workflow while maintaining incision accuracy through the integrated design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

Facilitates precise and efficient incisions along the desired line, even on irregularly shaped tissues, by allowing the knife wire to be placed around the treatment site with ease, improving procedural accuracy and reducing complexity.

Implementation Method 1

a knife wire (11) which has conductivity and incises a biological tissue using electrical energy

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical energy conversion to thermal energy: Joule Heating

Data Source

PatentEP3058887B1Energy treatment instrument
Publication Date: 2018.12.05 OLYMPUS CORPORATION(JP)
  • EP3058887B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3058887B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3058887B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The present energy treatment device has an insertion part, a pair of arms which are provided in a distal portion of the insertion part and which are capable of performing an opening-closing operation, a treatment member which is attachably and detachably provided in a first arm, a locked part which is provided in a second arm that is capable of locking the treatment member, and a manipulation part which causes the pair of arms to perform an opening-closing operation, wherein the treatment member includes a knife wire with conductivity, and a locking member which is positioned with respect to the first arm, being attachable to and detachable from the first arm, and capable of being locked by the locked part, the locked part has a retainer which is capable of holding the locking member with a force stronger than a force of the first arm to hold the locking member, and, after the first arm and the second arm are moved to a position in which the first arm and the second arm are in proximity to each other by the opening-closing operation, the locking member held by the first arm is held by the retainer, and the locking member detaches from the first arm while the locking member is held by the retainer of the second arm through an operation in which the first arm and the second arm are separated from each other.