Single-Handed Medical Device Handle with Locking Sheath Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical retrieval devices require two hands to manipulate and position urinary calculi, lacking tactile sensitivity and requiring an assistant for actuation, which is cumbersome and costly, and struggle with maintaining capture and controlled release of stones during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A medical device handle assembly with a proximal handle, distal end effector, and elongate member, featuring a mechanism for moving the sheath relative to the elongate member and a locking mechanism to allow single-handed operation, enabling the device to be actuated and rotated without changing tension, facilitating capture, repositioning, and fragmentation of objects within anatomical lumens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If two hands are used to manipulate the retrieval device and laser fiber, then positioning accuracy and control are improved, but procedural complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the retrieval device and laser fiber into a single integrated assembly, allowing the operator to control both components simultaneously with one hand. The handle assembly integrates controls for both the retrieval device (basket) and laser fiber delivery, merging previously separate manipulation tasks into a unified control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle assembly is designed to perform multiple functions through a single integrated mechanism. It enables both retrieval device actuation and laser fiber control, allowing one operator to perform tasks that previously required two operators or two hands, thereby simplifying the procedure while maintaining positioning accuracy.
2Reliability
If an assistant actuates the retrieval device, then the physician can maintain constant tension and positioning, but procedural cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated handle assembly enables the physician to self-actuate the retrieval device while maintaining constant tension and positioning. The design allows the operator to independently control both the retrieval device and laser fiber without requiring an assistant, making the system self-sufficient and reducing procedural complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sheath is moved relative to the elongate member, then the end effector can be exposed or retracted, but maintaining precise positioning becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic locking mechanism that allows the sheath to be moved relative to the elongate member when needed, then locked in place to maintain precise positioning. The mechanism transitions between locked and unlocked states, enabling both adaptability for exposure/retraction and precision for maintaining position during critical operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of a medical device includes a proximal handle, a distal end effector, an elongate member connecting the end effector to the handle, and a sheath enclosing at least a portion of the elongate member. The handle may include a first mechanism coupled to one of the sheath and the elongate member to move the sheath relative to the elongate member, a second mechanism coupled to the elongate member to rotate the elongate member relative to the handle, and a locking mechanism coupled to the first mechanism to hold the first mechanism in a default position. Embodiments also include methods of positioning the medical device to perform a medical procedure.