Lateral Access Retractor with Multi-Axis Blade Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing retractor devices in surgical contexts have limitations, such as requiring excessive portal enlargement and offering limited degrees of freedom, making it difficult to customize access corridors and manage tissue creep, especially in minimally invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A retractor system with retractable rods that can move in multiple degrees of freedom, featuring a sliding tool for rapid opening and adjustable positioning, along with a squid cap and central core for precise portal creation and expansion, allowing for customized access and minimizing tissue disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing retractors with fixed blade structures are used, then the device structure is simple, but the portal size must be significantly larger than required and tissue disruption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retractor is divided into multiple independent blades (at least three blades) that can be individually adjusted in position and orientation. Each blade can be independently manipulated to create custom portal configurations, allowing the portal size and shape to be precisely matched to implant dimensions rather than using a fixed uniform structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractor blades are designed with multiple degrees of freedom, allowing dynamic adjustment during the procedure. The blades can be positioned at different depths, angles, and orientations independently, enabling real-time customization of the portal to match the specific implant size and shape requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing retractors with single-axis blade movement are used, then the device structure is simple, but the degrees of freedom for blade manipulation are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The blade adjustment mechanism extends from single-axis movement to multi-axis movement, adding dimensional freedom. Blades can now be positioned not only radially but also rotated and tilted independently, creating three-dimensional positioning capability that allows precise customization of portal geometry to match complex implant shapes.
Solution Approach 2:
Each blade is equipped with independent adjustment mechanisms that provide multiple degrees of freedom. The blades can be dynamically repositioned during the procedure to optimize the portal configuration, allowing surgeons to adapt the retractor to various implant sizes and shapes rather than being constrained to fixed blade orientations.
3Productivity
If existing retractors require initial placement of dilators to create the portal, then the portal creation process is complete, but the procedure becomes more tedious and slower
Solution Approach 1:
The retractor blades are designed to be pre-positioned in a closed or partially closed configuration that allows direct insertion through a small initial access point. The blades can then be rapidly deployed outward to create the full portal, eliminating the need for sequential dilator placement and speeding up the overall portal creation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractor design integrates the portal creation function directly into the blade structure itself. Rather than requiring separate dilators to create the portal followed by retractor insertion, the retractor blades perform both functions - they create and maintain the portal simultaneously, streamlining the procedure into a single integrated action.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a retractor apparatus that includes a retractor frame, five arms attached to the retractor frame and five rods each attached to one of the five arms. Each rod includes a convex surface facing a center of the retractor frame. At least two of the five rods are movable independently from one another. A first rod of the five rods includes a longitudinal axis and is translatable along the longitudinal axis. Further, the first rod is attached to a first arm of the five arms and is pivotable relative to the first arm. The axis of pivot is offset from the longitudinal axis through which the first rod translates.