Laparoscopic Suture Device with Pivot Bar and Stylet Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laparoscopic surgery methods face challenges in efficiently and safely closing tissue defects created by trocar ports without exposing healthcare providers to sharps and ensuring precise delivery of substances like anesthetics during TAP blocks, due to variations in patient anatomy and the need for precise depth control.
Innovation Solution
A suture placement device with a pivot bar and deployable stylet guides that create suture paths without exposed sharps, allowing for secure suture placement and injection of substances at precise intra-muscular layers, using a fascial plane reference element to maintain pneumoperitoneum and facilitate closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional suture placement methods are used, then suture can be placed in tissue, but exposed sharps create risk of injury to healthcare providers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a needle guide as an intermediary device that receives the needle at a safe distance from the tissue defect and provides a protected path for needle insertion. The needle guide includes a bore that guides the needle through the tissue without exposing the surgeon to sharp edges, thus eliminating the harmful factor of exposed sharps while maintaining the ability to place sutures reliably
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the needle from the surgeon's direct environment by having it pass through a needle guide rather than being held directly by the surgeon. The needle guide removes the needle from the surgeon's hand and provides a protected insertion path, taking the harmful sharp object out of the surgeon's immediate control zone while maintaining surgical precision
2Productivity
If rapid closure is achieved, then productivity increases, but precision of substance delivery at specific tissue depths may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-positioning the needle guide and stylet in place before needle insertion. The needle guide is already positioned at the correct location and orientation, and the stylet is pre-loaded, allowing rapid needle insertion without compromising depth control. This preliminary setup enables both speed and precision simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The stylet acts as an intermediary that maintains the needle's position and direction during insertion. The stylet provides mechanical support and depth control, ensuring that the needle reaches the precise tissue layer (fascia) while allowing rapid closure. The stylet can be quickly removed after suture placement, maintaining high productivity
3Measurement precision
If TAP block injection is performed with traditional methods, then analgesic delivery is possible, but precise depth control is difficult due to anatomical variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing depth control features specifically at the needle guide location rather than requiring overall system complexity. The needle guide includes specific structural features (such as stops or depth markers) that ensure precise injection depth at the TAP plane between internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles, adapting to anatomical variations without compromising other functions
Solution Approach 2:
The needle guide serves as an intermediary that standardizes the injection depth regardless of patient anatomy. By providing a fixed-depth bore or depth-stop mechanism, the needle guide ensures consistent delivery of analgesic to the correct tissue plane while accommodating variations in patient thickness and anatomy
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 2D~2F
AI summary
A suture placement device is inserted into an endoscopic trocar port site. A pivot bar with a pair of receptor ports is moved from a folded to an extended position below the fascia. The trocar port is removed over the device as the pivot bar is pulled upward against the fascia. A pair of stylet guides are deployed from two sides of the device housing, and intercept the receptor ports, thereby creating a suture path through the first guide, through a channel in the pivot bar between the receptor ports, and through the second guide. A stylet is directed through the suture path to pull a suture through the path. The guides are retracted, the pivot bar is folded, the device is removed, and the suture is tied. A stylet guide may have a partially deployed position to accurately inject an anesthetic at a desired intra-muscular layer.