Interchangeable Laparoscopic Tool Tips With In-Shaft Magazine Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical devices require removal and reinsertion of the handheld device for tool tip changes during procedures, leading to prolonged operation times and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A surgical device with a magazine containing interchangeable tool tips and a tool activation mechanism that allows tool tip changes without removing the device from the patient's body, utilizing a rack and actuation rod system for tool tip actuation and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a different tool tip is to be used, the handheld surgical device must be removed and a different device introduced through the incision
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical device is segmented into a reusable handheld body and interchangeable tool tips. The tool tips can be independently exchanged at the distal end of the shaft without removing the entire device from the patient's body, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple tool tips are stored within a magazine nested inside the handheld body. The selected tool tip is advanced through the elongated shaft and coupled to the distal end, allowing rapid interchange without external manipulation or device removal.
2Adaptability or versatility
Multiple tool switches during the procedure result in distracting workflows and loss of surgical time
Solution Approach 1:
The handheld surgical device is designed as a universal platform that can accommodate multiple different tool tips through the magazine system. This multi-functionality allows surgeons to access various tools without switching between different handheld devices, maintaining surgical efficiency while providing tool variety.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple tool tips are pre-loaded into the magazine before the surgical procedure begins. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming tool exchanges during surgery, as the surgeon can simply advance the next required tool tip from the pre-loaded magazine.
3Ease of operation
The tool activation mechanism must extend through the lumen to couple with the tool tip
Solution Approach 1:
The tool activation mechanism features a dynamic distal region that can transition between retracted and extended configurations. When a tool tip is selected, the distal region extends through the lumen to couple with the tool tip's proximal portion, then retracts after coupling. This dynamic behavior enables ease of operation while minimizing the mechanism's structural footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool tips are designed as disposable components that are advanced from the magazine, coupled to the distal end of the shaft, and then discarded after use. This approach simplifies the overall system complexity by eliminating the need for complex retrieval and sterilization mechanisms for the tool tips themselves.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for performing surgery are provided, which permit multiple tool tips to be interchanged within an instrument shaft during a minimally invasive procedure. The surgical device holds a plurality of interchangeable tool tips such that a selected tool tip from a chamber of a magazine can be mounted at the distal end of an elongated shaft for a laparoscopic surgery. In this manner, multiple tool types can be interchanged within a shaft without having to remove the instrument from the patient for tool changes, thereby increasing surgical efficiencies and reducing the number of tools needed for a procedure.