Laparoscopic Suture Fastening Device with Grasping Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as laparoscopic suturing, face challenges due to the difficulty in manipulating sutures and needles through trocars, which can make suturing more complex compared to open surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A laparoscopic suturing instrument with an end effector featuring grasping arms that can alternately throw and catch a suturing needle along an arcuate path, combined with a suture fastening and cutting instrument that applies fasteners to secure the suture strands, facilitating easier and more precise suturing within the abdominal cavity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional tissue graspers are used to manipulate needle and suture through trocars, then minimally invasive surgery can be performed, but the suturing procedure becomes relatively difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a specialized laparoscopic suture device as an intermediary tool between the surgeon and the tissue. This device includes a needle holder with a curved needle, suture passer with grasping arms, and fastening mechanism that work together to simplify the suturing process through trocars, transforming the complex manual manipulation into a more controlled and easier procedure
Solution Approach 2:
The suture device integrates multiple functions into a single instrument: needle holding, suture passing, tissue grasping, and fastener application. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for multiple separate tools and manual techniques, making the overall suturing procedure easier while maintaining minimal invasiveness
2Area of stationary object
If the abdominal cavity is insufflated with pressurized carbon dioxide to provide more room for visualization and manipulation, then surgical space is increased, but the complexity of managing instruments and sutures through trocars remains
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates movable and adjustable components including the grasping arms that can open and close, the needle holder that can rotate, and the fastening mechanism that can be actuated. These dynamic features allow the instrument to adapt to different surgical positions and tissue depths within the insufflated cavity, improving ease of manipulation despite the increased space
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple trocars are inserted to provide access for imaging devices and surgical instruments, then minimally invasive surgery is enabled, but the difficulty of suturing through these narrow access points increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suture device is designed with a nested structure where the needle holder is contained within the shaft, the grasping arms are folded along the instrument body, and the fastening mechanism is integrated into the end effector. This compact nested design allows the entire suturing system to pass through narrow trocars while maintaining full functionality once deployed in the surgical field
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is operable to secure suture fasteners to sutures to eliminate the need to tie knots in the sutures. The apparatus comprises a shaft, an end effector disposed at the distal end of the shaft, and a suture fastener removably secured to the end effector. The end effector may include a pivoting jaw or a suture cutter. The suture fastener may be secured to one, two, or more strands of suture. The apparatus may include several suture fasteners and may secure those fasteners to one or more sutures in a serial fashion without having to remove the apparatus from the patient for reloading. A plurality of fasteners may be arranged within the apparatus in an end-to-end configuration. The suture fastener may include an inner fastener member and an outer fastener member, and may capture one or more strands of suture between the inner and outer fastener members.