Surgical Clip Instrument With Multi-Row Sequential Dispensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical instruments are limited by the number of clips they can discharge per instrument insertion, necessitating manual reloading, which disrupts workflow and prolongs surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument design featuring an end effector with movable jaws and an actuator that allows for the sequential application of multiple rows of clips, eliminating the need for manual cartridge reloading by enabling lateral translation of a pusher to engage and form clips in a single instrument insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional surgical instruments with single-row clip cartridges are used, then the instrument structure is simple, but the surgical procedure time increases due to manual reloading
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge is divided into multiple independent row channels, each capable of holding and dispensing clips sequentially. The pusher is segmented to engage different rows independently, allowing the instrument to discharge multiple rows of clips without requiring instrument removal or manual reloading.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-row linear arrangement to a multi-row three-dimensional cartridge structure. Clips are arranged in multiple rows within the same cartridge, and the pusher can translate laterally to engage different rows, effectively utilizing spatial dimensions to increase clip capacity without increasing instrument length.
2Loss of time
If multiple rows of clips are loaded in a single cartridge, then the number of instrument insertions is reduced, but the cartridge and actuator mechanism become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple rows of clips are nested within a single cartridge housing, with each row contained in its own channel. The pusher mechanism is nested within the cartridge and can translate to engage different rows, creating a compact multi-functional structure that eliminates the need for multiple separate cartridges.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator automatically translates the pusher laterally to engage the next row of clips after the current row is depleted. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual intervention to reload or switch cartridges, allowing the instrument to continuously discharge clips from multiple rows autonomously.
3Ease of operation
If a single instrument insertion is used to apply multiple rows of clips, then surgical workflow is improved, but the actuator mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pusher is designed with lateral translation capability that allows it to dynamically engage different rows of clips. The actuator mechanism can shift the pusher's position laterally to access subsequent rows, creating a dynamic multi-row dispensing system from a single instrument insertion, thereby improving surgical workflow continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument for applying surgical clips to tissue comprises an end effector having first and second jaws that are movable between open and closed positions and configured to receive first and second rows of clips in the open position. The instrument further includes an actuator coupled to the end effector and configured to move the jaws into the closed position and to discharge the first and second rows of clips. This allows an operator to apply multiple rows of clips to tissue with a single instrument insertion, which obviates the need to remove the surgical instrument from the cannula to manually reload a new cartridge, thereby reducing the overall time of the surgical procedure.