Nested Surgical Retractor for Gasless Organ Exclusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional retractors face challenges in being easily inserted through small openings and then expanding to effectively exclude organs in body cavities during surgery, often requiring gas injection and full anesthesia, which is invasive and limits operability.
Innovation Solution
A retractor design featuring a rigid perforation tube, a developing body with a movable wire and fixing wires, and a grip system allowing for the formation of a cocoon-shaped structure that can be adjusted in size by manipulating the grip portions, enabling flexible exclusion without gas injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the retractor is designed with a small diameter for insertion through trocar or small incision, then the ease of insertion is improved, but the excluding area after deployment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The excluding section is folded and nested inside the rod-shaped tube during insertion, allowing the retractor to pass through small openings. After insertion, the excluding section is deployed outward to form a large excluding area, effectively resolving the contradiction between small insertion diameter and large excluding area.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractor transitions from a one-dimensional rod-like form during insertion to a three-dimensional expanded structure with large excluding area after deployment. This dimensional transformation allows the device to achieve both small insertion profile and large functional area.
2Illumination intensity
If gas is injected into the body cavity to ensure field of view and operation space, then the surgical visibility is improved, but the invasiveness increases and full anesthesia is required
Solution Approach 1:
The retractor extracts and physically removes the obstacle (organ or inside wall) from the surgical field by excluding it with the developed excluding section. This mechanical exclusion provides clear surgical visibility without requiring gas injection, thereby eliminating the associated invasiveness and anesthesia requirements.
3Area of stationary object
If the excluding section is designed to open to a fan shape for wide exclusion, then the excluding capability is improved, but the insertion complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The excluding section is designed with dynamic characteristics, transitioning from a folded linear configuration during insertion to an expanded fan shape during exclusion. This dynamic transformation allows the device to maintain simple insertion structure while achieving large excluding area through controlled deployment.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(c)
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
A retractor (100) has a rigid piercing tube (110) and an expansion body (120). The expansion body (120) has an introduction tube (130) which is received within the piercing tube (110), a movable wire (124) which is received within the introduction tube (130), and stationary wires (126) which are arranged around the movable wire (124). The proximal end of each of the stationary wires (126) is affixed to the distal end of the introduction tube (130). The distal end of each of the stationary wires (126) is joined to the distal end of the movable wire (124). The respective proximal ends of the piercing tube (110), the introduction tube (130), and the movable wire (124) are respectively joined to first, second, and third grip sections (162, 164, 166). The piercing tube (110) is inserted into a luminal organ or a body cavity, the introduction tube (130) is advanced to the distal side, and the movable wire (124) is retracted to the proximal side. As a result, the stationary wires (126) are bent outward and press and displace the inner wall of the luminal organ or an organ within the body cavity. This retractor (100) can be used for an endoscopic surgery.