Multi-Leg Surgical Fastener With Lateral Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical fasteners face challenges in securely attaching mesh patches to body tissue during hernia repair surgeries, particularly in minimizing tissue damage and ensuring high resistance to inadvertent withdrawal, while also being easily deployable and potentially absorbable by the body.
Innovation Solution
The development of a fastener with a head and multiple legs, where the legs are configured to deform laterally during insertion and then return to their original configuration, providing a secure anchoring mechanism by deflecting outwardly facing barbs into the tissue upon insertion completion, and utilizing an impulse loading mechanism for effective deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fastener uses a traditional single-leg or staple design, then the device complexity is low, but the retention performance and resistance to withdrawal are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is divided into multiple legs (typically three) extending from a common base, with each leg independently penetrating the tissue and forming its own anchoring element. This segmentation allows each leg to contribute to the overall retention performance while distributing the mechanical load, thereby achieving higher reliability without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchoring elements are configured to extend laterally from the legs in directions substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fastener. This dimensional change from linear to lateral orientation creates a broader anchoring footprint within the tissue, significantly enhancing resistance to withdrawal forces while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Reliability
If the fastener uses a rigid structure for strong anchoring, then the resistance to withdrawal is high, but the tissue damage during insertion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The legs are designed with controlled flexibility, allowing them to deflect laterally during the insertion process to navigate through tissue with minimal trauma. Once inserted, the legs maintain their position and the anchoring elements provide substantial resistance to withdrawal, achieving a dynamic balance between soft insertion and firm retention.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener structure transitions from a compact pre-insertion configuration to an expanded post-insertion configuration. The legs deflect laterally during insertion and then return toward their original configuration, changing the spatial parameters of the anchoring elements to minimize insertion trauma while maximizing retention after deployment.
3Manufacturing precision
If the fastener uses a complex deployment mechanism for precise control, then the ease of operation is reduced, but the manufacturing precision can be improved
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is designed to self-deploy upon insertion into the tissue. The legs automatically deflect laterally as they penetrate the tissue and then return toward their original configuration, creating the anchoring effect without requiring complex deployment mechanisms or additional actuation steps. This self-service approach maintains ease of operation while achieving precise leg configuration through the tissue's natural resistance forces.
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
This design enhances the retention performance of surgical fasteners, reducing tissue trauma and increasing resistance to withdrawal, while allowing for secure anchoring and potential bioabsorption, thus addressing the limitations of existing fasteners.
Implementation Method 1
the anchoring element and leg stem are structured and configured so that when the net lateral resistance force on the anchoring element exceeds a predetermined level, at least a portion of the leg is deflected in the direction of the net lateral resistance force acting on the anchoring element
Implementation Method 2
the anchoring element and leg stem are structured and configured so that when the net lateral force is reduced below the predetermined level, the at least a portion of the leg is biased back toward the pre-insertion configuration
Implementation Method 3
utilizing an impulse loading mechanism for effective deployment
Data Source
AI summary
A fastener is provided for inserting into a body tissue. The fastener has a head and an anchoring portion comprising a plurality of distally extending legs. Each leg terminates in an anchoring element configured to penetrate tissue and to cause a net lateral resistance force on the leg during penetration. The legs are configured and structured so that when the net lateral resistance force on the anchoring element exceeds a predetermined level, at least a portion of the leg is deflected laterally away from a pre-insertion configuration and so that when the net lateral force is subsequently reduced below the predetermined level, the at least a portion of the leg is biased back toward the pre-insertion configuration.