Needle Assembly with Pliable Tissue Receivers for Pleural Insufflation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive cardiac surgery is hindered by the heart's position relative to intercostal incisions, making procedures more difficult and time-consuming, with a need for devices that can safely and effectively move the heart closer to the access site to reduce cardio-pulmonary bypass machine usage and improve surgical efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A needle assembly for pleural space insufflation featuring an outer shaft with pliable tissue receivers and a movable needle that pierces the parietal pleura without extending past the distal end, allowing controlled insufflation of the pleural space to displace mediastinal contents and position the heart advantageously during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a needle is advanced to pierce the parietal pleura for pleural space insufflation, then the heart can be displaced closer to the intercostal incision, but there is a risk of accidentally piercing the visceral pleura and causing lung injury
Solution Approach 1:
The outer shaft acts as an intermediary device between the surgeon and the pleural space. It provides a controlled pathway with tissue receivers that guide the needle, ensuring that the piercing action is precisely controlled and confined to the parietal pleura only, preventing accidental penetration of the visceral pleura and lung tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The pliable tissue receivers are pre-formed and positioned on the outer shaft to engage and secure the parietal pleura before needle advancement. This preliminary engagement ensures that the pleura is properly positioned and restrained, allowing the needle to pierce only the intended tissue layer and preventing uncontrolled penetration deeper into the chest cavity.
2Productivity
If traditional MIS techniques are used without heart displacement, then the surgical procedure is safer, but the heart is positioned too far from the intercostal incision making the procedure more difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The outer shaft serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, contains the pliable tissue receivers for pleura engagement, guides the needle, and prevents excessive needle penetration. This multi-functional design consolidates several required capabilities into a single device component, reducing overall system complexity while enabling heart displacement for improved surgical access.
3Ease of operation
If the needle extends past the distal end of the outer shaft, then it can more easily pierce the parietal pleura, but it increases the risk of piercing the visceral pleura and lung tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is designed with differentiated local properties: the tip portion is sharp for effective piercing of the parietal pleura, while the overall length is constrained to not extend past the distal end of the outer shaft. This localized sharpness combined with controlled length ensures adequate piercing capability while preventing excessive penetration that could reach the visceral pleura or lung tissue.
Data Source
AI summary
A needle assembly for pleural space insufflation is disclosed. The needle assembly has an outer shaft defining one or more pliable tissue receivers. The needle assembly also has a needle moveable within the outer shaft from a retracted position to an engaged position that does not extend past a distal end of the outer shaft. A method of pleural space insufflation is also disclosed. A parietal pleura is contacted with a distal end of an outer shaft that defines one or more pliable tissue receivers. The distal end of the outer shaft is pushed against the parietal pleura so that a portion of the parietal pleura enters the one or more pliable tissue receivers. A needle is advanced within the outer shaft so that the needle pierces the parietal pleura.