Polypectomy Device with Variable Opening and Vacuum Suction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing uterine polyps are often invasive, require high skill and expensive equipment, and pose risks such as thermal injury and fluid imbalance, making them unsuitable for office settings and inefficient for soft, gelatinous polyps.
Innovation Solution
A polypectomy device with a movable inner tubular member that uses vacuum suction and mechanical separation, featuring a blunt distal tip and large openings for efficient removal of polyps, designed to be safer, easier to use, and less costly, allowing for procedures in a doctor's office setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional invasive methods are used to remove uterine polyps, then complete removal can be achieved, but the procedure becomes more complex, requires expensive equipment, and increases risk of thermal injury and fluid imbalance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential function of polyp removal from complex traditional systems. The device uses a simple tubular structure with a cutting edge and suction capability, eliminating the need for complex electrocautery systems, fluid management equipment, and specialized training required by traditional methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is designed as a simple, potentially disposable instrument that eliminates the need for expensive reusable equipment. The tubular body with cutting edge and suction port can be manufactured at low cost, removing polyps without requiring investment in costly electrocautery generators or complex surgical suites.
2Productivity
If traditional electrocautery methods are used, then polyps can be removed, but thermal injury risk increases and fluid imbalance problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal energy-based electrocautery with a mechanical system combining a cutting edge and vacuum suction. The cutting edge mechanically severs the polyp base while suction simultaneously removes the detached tissue, eliminating thermal injury risks and fluid imbalance issues associated with electrocautery methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses vacuum suction (pneumatic principle) to remove polyps. The suction port creates negative pressure that draws the polyp into the tubular body and expels it through the proximal end, providing a non-thermal, fluid-balanced method of polyp removal that avoids the harmful effects of electrocautery.
3Adaptability or versatility
If robust tools designed for fibroid removal are used, then larger and firmer objects can be removed, but the device size increases and mechanical complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is optimized for the specific local quality of soft, gelatinous polyps rather than the harder, firmer fibroids. The cutting edge geometry and suction port size are tailored to the consistency and size of polyps, allowing effective removal with a simpler, smaller device that would be inadequate for fibroid removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates a movable inner tubular body that can translate relative to the outer tubular body. This dynamic mechanism allows the cutting edge to advance and retract, enabling the device to adapt to different polyp sizes and positions while maintaining mechanical simplicity suitable for office-based procedures.
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
The device enables safer, faster, and more efficient removal of uterine polyps with reduced risk of trauma and fluid loss, facilitating procedures in a less invasive office environment while minimizing equipment costs.
Implementation Method 1
the polypectomy devices disclosed herein are configured to be inserted through the vaginal canal into the uterus, and to remove polyps through one or both of vacuum suction and mechanical separation
Data Source
AI summary
A polyp removal device comprises an outer tubular body; an inner tubular body being movable with respect to the outer tubular body; a handle; an actuation member configured to cause movement of the inner tubular body with respect to the outer tubular body when the actuation member is moved with respect to the handle; a vacuum port for coupling thereto of a vacuum source; and an opening near a distal end of the polyp removal device, the opening configured to allow fluid communication between an environment external to the polyp removal device and the lumen of the inner tubular body, wherein a size of the opening is variable based on the movement of the inner tubular body with respect to the outer tubular body.