Modular Surgical Cassette Design for Cross-Contamination Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cassette systems for fluid distribution during surgical procedures, such as phacoemulsification, lack efficient mechanisms for easily exchangeable cassettes that can optimally perform intended functions, leading to potential cross-contamination issues between patients.
Innovation Solution
A surgical cassette system with a modular design that includes a front plate, back plate, and gasket with integrated pathways for tubing, valves, and sensors, allowing for efficient fluid flow control and easy exchangeability to prevent cross-contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cassette systems are used with fixed configurations, then manufacturing and assembly are simpler, but exchangeability between procedures is difficult and cross-contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cassette system is divided into separable components including a front plate, back plate, and intermediate coupling mechanism. This segmentation allows the cassette to be easily detached from and attached to the surgical console, enabling procedure-to-procedure exchange while maintaining fluid pathway integrity and preventing cross-contamination between patients.
Solution Approach 2:
The cassette is designed with universal coupling interfaces that are compatible with the surgical console across different procedures. The standardized connection mechanism allows the same cassette design to be reused after sterilization, providing both exchangeability and reliability in preventing cross-contamination while reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If modular cassette design with integrated pathways is implemented, then fluid flow control and exchangeability are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The front plate, back plate, gasket, and fluid pathways are merged into an integrated cassette assembly. This combining of components allows for precise fluid flow control through the integrated pathways while streamlining the manufacturing process by reducing the number of separate parts that need to be assembled, thereby improving ease of manufacture despite the modular design.
3Reliability
If disposable cassettes are used to prevent cross-contamination, then patient safety is improved, but cost and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cassette is designed as a single-use disposable component that is discarded after each procedure to prevent cross-contamination, ensuring patient safety. The modular design allows for efficient disposal and replacement, minimizing waste through standardized sizing and enabling recovery of the surgical console and other reusable components, thereby balancing patient safety with cost-effectiveness.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for a surgical system is disclosed, comprising a surgical cassette, comprising a cassette for use with a surgical console, further comprising a first set of fluid channels having a first set of ports, a second set of fluid channels having a second set of ports, at least one rotary valve in fluid communication with the first set of fluid channels, at least one rotary valve in fluid communication with the second set of fluid channels, and a plurality of deformable channels, wherein the deformable channels are fluidly connected to ones of the first set of ports and second set of ports.