Magnetic Guide Tip Introducer for Endoscopic Stapler Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endoscopic staplers face challenges in maneuvering around arteries and veins due to their blunt and wide anvil design, which can lead to accidental damage during minimally invasive surgery, and existing guide tips are often specific to particular makes and models, limiting their compatibility and usability.
Innovation Solution
A guide tip introducer with a proximal end that magnetically secures to the anvil, a tapered region for smooth transition, and a flexible distal end for precise guidance, made from a red rubber catheter and magnetic tape, allowing for easy attachment and detachment, and compatibility with various endoscopic stapler models.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a blunt and wide anvil design is used in endoscopic staplers, then the stapler structure is simple and robust, but it becomes difficult to maneuver around arteries and veins, increasing the risk of accidental damage
Solution Approach 1:
The anvil is segmented into two functional parts: the original blunt and wide anvil body for structural robustness, and an attached guide tip with a smaller, more maneuverable distal end for safe navigation around critical structures. This segmentation allows each part to fulfill its optimal function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tip acts as an intermediary between the surgeon's control and the blunt anvil. It provides a flexible, navigable interface that can be maneuvered around arteries and veins, while the blunt anvil remains protected and functional for its primary stapling purpose.
2Adaptability or versatility
If existing guide tips are designed for specific makes and models of endoscopic staplers, then they can provide precise guidance for those models, but they limit compatibility and require multiple specialized tips
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip is designed with universal adaptability to attach to various makes and models of endoscopic staplers. The magnetic attachment mechanism and standardized interface allow a single guide tip design to function across multiple stapler platforms, eliminating the need for model-specific specialized tips.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tip utilizes magnetic field strength as a variable parameter to achieve secure attachment across different stapler models. By adjusting magnetic strength, the same guide tip can adapt to various anvil sizes and materials, providing universal compatibility without requiring physical modifications for each model.
3Ease of operation
If a flexible guide tip material is used, then the guide can maneuver precisely around structures, but it may lack the rigidity needed for stable attachment and control
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip is constructed from composite materials combining flexibility and strength. The material composition allows the distal end to remain flexible for precise maneuvering around arteries and veins, while maintaining sufficient structural integrity for stable magnetic attachment and controlled operation.
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
Enhances the surgeon's ability to maneuver the endoscopic stapler with greater precision, reducing the risk of damaging arteries or veins by providing a flexible and magnetically secured guide that can be used with a wide range of endoscopic stapler models, facilitating more efficient tissue rejoining during surgery.
Implementation Method 1
The proximal end is magnetically secured to the anvil
Data Source
AI summary
A guide tip introducer is provided as a compatible attachment for a wide range endoscopic staplers of different makes and models. The guide tip introducer mounts to the anvil of an existing endoscopic stapler in order to facilitate the positioning of the stapler beneath a target structure, reducing the amount tissue needing to be dissected. The guide tip introducer is easy to attach and remove from the anvil tip through its particular shape and through the use of a magnetic attachment strip. The guide tip introducer is constructed from smooth semi-rigid material enabling guidance of the endoscopic stapler while minimizing damage around target structures. The guide tip introducer is fashioned using commonly available material found in most standard operating rooms.