Nested Surgical Anchor Kit for Intracorporeal Suture Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Intracorporeal suturing during surgery is challenging due to the difficulty in manipulating suturing instruments within small incisions and the inability to see the suture site, making it hard to deliver and tie sutures effectively.

Innovation Solution

A tissue anchor system with a suture attached to a needle and nestable anchors, where each anchor has a tapered shaft with barbs for secure placement, allowing for sequential delivery of anchors without removing the needle, facilitating efficient attachment of surgical implants through a single incision.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple surgical anchors are used for intracorporeal suturing, then the security and reliability of tissue attachment is improved, but the complexity of manipulating multiple instruments through small incisions increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue attachment securityVSAvoidinstrument manipulation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple surgical anchors are nested within each other, with each anchor having a lumen that receives the shaft of the next anchor. This nesting configuration allows multiple anchors to be delivered through a single needle and small incision, reducing instrument manipulation complexity while maintaining reliable tissue attachment through multiple anchors

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Productivity

If the surgeon digitally palpates to locate landmarks, then the ability to proceed with suturing is maintained, but the precision and accuracy of suture placement deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesuture placement capabilityVSAvoidlandmark location accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical anchors incorporate visual indicators such as colored bands or markers that are visible through the tissue or during the surgical procedure. This allows the surgeon to precisely locate and identify landmarks and anchor positions without relying solely on digital palpation, improving placement accuracy while maintaining surgical productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

3Ease of operation

If the needle is externalized to load a new anchor, then the ease of loading anchors is improved, but the procedural time and loss of time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanchor loading easeVSAvoidprocedural time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple anchors are pre-loaded onto the needle in a nested configuration before the surgical procedure begins. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need to externalize the needle to load additional anchors during surgery, significantly reducing procedural time while maintaining ease of anchor deployment through the pre-arranged nested structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Measurement precision

If multiple anchors are delivered through separate incisions, then the precision of anchor placement is improved, but the invasiveness and harm to the patient increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveanchor placement precisionVSAvoidpatient invasiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple anchors are nested within each other and delivered through a single needle through one small incision. This nested delivery system achieves precise placement of multiple anchors at different tissue locations while minimizing patient invasiveness by avoiding multiple separate incisions, reducing trauma and recovery time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP3167814B1Kit of parts for surgical anchor placement

Publication Date: 2018.12.12 COLOPLAST AS

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AI summary

Disclosed is a kit of parts for surgical anchor placement inside the body of a patient, the kit of parts including a needle having a length of suture attached to a trailing end of the needle and extending through a lumen of each of a plurality of surgical anchors. Also disclosed is a method of preparing a kit of parts for surgical anchor placement.