LED Array Transillumination for Laparoscopic Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laparoscopic surgery faces challenges due to limited visibility and tactile feedback, which can lead to injuries of vital structures during procedures like hysterectomy, as ambient light is insufficient for clear visualization through small incisions.
Innovation Solution
A device with an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is used to illuminate internal tissues, positioned in various forms such as a ring within a colpotomy cup, allowing transillumination to enhance visibility during surgical procedures, reducing the risk of inadvertent injuries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If laparoscopic surgery is performed through small incisions, then post-operative pain and recovery time are reduced, but visibility of the operating area deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the illumination function with the surgical instrument by integrating an LED array into the instrument housing. This merging allows the instrument to provide its own localized illumination at the surgical site, eliminating the need for separate lighting equipment and ensuring adequate visibility through the small incision while maintaining the minimally invasive benefits of reduced recovery time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces illumination from a previously unused dimension by placing light sources directly within or adjacent to the surgical instrument that enters through the small inciction. This dimensional approach to lighting (integrating it into the instrument rather than relying on external overhead lights) solves the visibility problem without requiring larger incisions for additional lighting equipment.
2Device complexity
If ambient light is used for visualization, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision of tissue structures deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is designed to be self-illuminating through the integration of an LED array directly into the instrument. This self-service approach provides dedicated illumination exactly where needed at the tissue interface, ensuring high visualization accuracy for precise surgical measurements and observations without adding complex external lighting systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing concentrated illumination precisely at the surgical site through the LED array integrated into the instrument. This localized lighting ensures high visualization accuracy exactly where the surgeon needs to see, rather than relying on diffuse ambient light that may not adequately illuminate specific tissue structures for precise measurement and observation.
3Illumination intensity
If more light sources are added to improve visibility, then illumination intensity improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the illumination function from the main surgical instrument body and implements it as a separate, modular LED array component. This extraction allows for simplified integration of multiple light sources without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the LED array can be independently controlled and positioned to provide enhanced visibility while maintaining a relatively simple device structure.
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
The LED array device improves surgical precision by providing clear visualization of the incision site, reducing the risk of injury to internal structures and enabling safer and more effective tissue manipulation during procedures like hysterectomy and other abdominal surgeries.
Implementation Method 1
A device with an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is used to illuminate internal tissues
Data Source
AI summary
A device which illuminates internal tissue and organs of a patient is described. The illumination member includes an array of light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”). The arrangement of the array depends on the configuration of the device and the procedure for which the device is being used. In all cases, the illumination member is used to illuminate relevant organs or structures in the body in order to increase visibility during surgical procedures. The LED array reduces the potential for inadvertent injury to internal structures for procedures located throughout the body. These procedures include those involving the reproductive organs of males and females, gastric and bariatrics, and other structures in the abdomen.