Modular Endoscope Insertion Sheath Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopes face challenges in cleaning and sterilization due to complex designs, and maintaining multiple devices for various procedures is costly and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The development of modular endoscopes with disposable insertion sheaths and shafts allows for customization of components for specific procedures, enabling easy assembly, use, and disassembly, with expensive components being reusable and difficult-to-clean parts being disposable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional endoscopes are designed to be completely reusable, then they can be used multiple times, but crevices between components or spaces within functional components of the distal portion become difficult to access and clean
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope is divided into reusable proximal components and disposable distal components (insertion sheath and shaft). The disposable distal portion is designed to be separated and discarded after a single use, eliminating the need to clean complex crevices and internal spaces of the distal portion while maintaining reusability of the expensive proximal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion sheath and distal shaft are designed as disposable components that are inexpensive relative to the reusable proximal components. These disposable portions are used once and then discarded, eliminating cleaning requirements for their internal structures while preserving the ability to reuse expensive components.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple endoscopes are maintained in inventory to perform different surgical techniques or therapeutic methods, then various procedures can be performed on different patients, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The endoscope system is segmented into a reusable proximal portion and disposable distal portions. The reusable proximal portion can be paired with different disposable distal portions designed for specific procedures (e.g., pancreaticobiliary, gastric, duodenal). This allows a single reusable platform to support multiple specialized configurations, reducing the need to maintain multiple complete endoscope inventories while maintaining procedure versatility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If medical devices are purchased with excess capacity or unwanted capabilities for a particular patient, then they can accommodate various procedures, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable distal portions are designed with specific local qualities and capabilities tailored to particular procedures (e.g., pancreaticobiliary access, gastric imaging, duodenal therapy). Each distal portion has the exact capabilities needed for its intended use without unnecessary excess capacity. The reusable proximal portion provides the common platform functionality, while the specialized distal portions provide procedure-specific capabilities at lower cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular endoscope system comprises an exoskeleton, a camera unit couplable to the exoskeleton, a therapeutic unit couplable to the exoskeleton, a steering unit couplable to the exoskeleton, and a control unit couplable to the exoskeleton. A method for building a modular endoscope comprises determining camera and therapeutic capabilities of the endoscope, selecting an exoskeleton for the endoscope, attaching a camera unit and therapeutic unit, if such capabilities are determined, to the selected exoskeleton to satisfy the determined capabilities, and attaching a control unit to the exoskeleton to control any camera unit and therapeutic unit attached to the exoskeleton. A method of processing modular endoscope components for performing a surgical procedure comprises identifying a patient to receive a treatment, selecting components of the endoscope to perform the treatment, treating the patient with the endoscope, and deconstructing the components of the endoscope into reusable and disposable components.