Multi-Aperture Nerve Sizing Forceps for Clean Transection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nerve transection methods often result in damaged or frayed nerve ends due to inadequate bracing and inaccurate nerve size measurements, leading to increased surgical complexity and errors.
Innovation Solution
A single sizing forceps instrument that surrounds and secures the nerve, providing peripheral bracing and multiple apertures to determine the nerve diameter accurately, allowing for a clean transection with minimal strokes using a surgically sharp blade.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a cutting implement is used to transect the nerve without adequate bracing, then the cutting action can be performed, but the nerve end becomes crushed, frayed, or damaged due to excessive force or multiple passes
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps jaw is segmented into multiple apertures of different diameters, allowing selection of the appropriate aperture size for the specific nerve being transected. This segmentation enables precise sizing and bracing without crushing the nerve tissue, as the correct aperture provides optimal support while accommodating the nerve's natural diameter.
Solution Approach 2:
The forceps acts as an intermediary device between the surgeon's hand and the nerve tissue. By providing a bracing surface through the selected aperture, the forceps mediates the cutting process, distributing the force required for transection and preventing direct crushing of the nerve end by the cutting implement or surgeon's fingers.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple devices are used for nerve measurement and transection, then each function can be performed with specialized tools, but the number of manipulations increases and opportunities for error increase
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps combines multiple functions into a single instrument: nerve measurement (through multiple aperture selection), nerve bracing/holding, and guidance for transection. This merging eliminates the need for separate measuring devices, holding forceps, and cutting guides, reducing the total number of manipulations and opportunities for error while maintaining specialized functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The forceps is designed as a multi-functional universal tool for nerve surgery. The head portion with multiple apertures serves both as a measuring device (by selecting the appropriate aperture size) and as a bracing/holding mechanism. The jaw's design allows it to function throughout the entire nerve transection process, from sizing to secure holding during cutting.
3Productivity
If visual estimation is used to determine nerve diameter, then the measurement process is simple and quick, but the measurement accuracy is poor due to the soft and pliable nature of nerve tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps performs self-measurement by allowing the surgeon to select the aperture that closely matches the nerve's diameter. The nerve itself serves as the reference standard, and the multiple apertures provide a set of known dimensions for comparison. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external measuring devices while providing accurate measurement through direct comparison.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the subjective visual estimation process with an objective mechanical comparison system. Instead of relying on the surgeon's visual judgment of nerve diameter, the multiple apertures provide fixed mechanical references that can be directly compared to the nerve's actual size, transforming a subjective visual task into an objective mechanical measurement.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the nerve is braced tightly to prevent rolling during cutting, then the nerve position is secure, but the soft internal nerve tissues are crushed by the force required to hold the nerve
Solution Approach 1:
The forceps applies bracing force locally at the aperture-nerve interface rather than distributing force across the entire nerve. The selected aperture provides localized support exactly where needed to prevent rolling during cutting, while the rest of the nerve tissue remains uncompressed. This local quality approach ensures stability without crushing the soft internal structures.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1F
Figure 1C~1H
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A sizing forceps is provided for fixing a nerve in place, measuring the diameter of the nerve, and providing an efficient way to resect the nerve. A sizing forceps can have an upper and lower jaw with one or more aligned notches that form apertures for holding a nerve. The apertures can have predetermined sizes that can be used to measure the diameter of a nerve. A slicing slot in the upper and lower jaw allows a nerve within an aperture to be severed to obtain a non-frayed end.