Polypectomy Device With Vacuum Suction And Mechanical Separation
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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 polyp removal.
Innovation Solution
A polypectomy device with a distal end featuring multiple openings and a movable inner tubular member that translates or rotates, allowing for vacuum-assisted and mechanical separation of polyps, reducing the risk of thermal injury and fluid loss, and enabling safer, more efficient removal in a doctor's office setting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional methods are used for removing uterine polyps, then complete polyp removal can be achieved, but the procedures are invasive, require high skill and expensive equipment, and pose risks such as thermal injury and fluid imbalance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the polyp from the uterus using a specialized device that combines vacuum suction and mechanical separation. The device removes only the necessary component (polyp) while leaving the uterus intact, avoiding the need for invasive surgical procedures and expensive hospital equipment while maintaining complete removal efficacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specialized polyp removal device as an intermediary tool that facilitates safe and effective polyp removal. This device acts as a mediator between the polyp and the external environment, enabling office-based procedures without requiring complex hospital equipment or specialized surgical skills, thereby improving safety while reducing procedural complexity.
2Productivity
If traditional thermal methods are used for polyp removal, then polyps can be removed, but thermal injury and fluid imbalance risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal methods with a mechanical system combining vacuum suction and mechanical separation. This substitution eliminates thermal injury risks and fluid imbalance associated with traditional thermal methods while maintaining efficient polyp removal. The mechanical system uses controlled suction forces and physical separation mechanisms to achieve complete polyp removal without heat-related complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs vacuum suction (pneumatic principle) as the primary mechanism for polyp removal. The vacuum system creates negative pressure to extract the polyp from the uterus, providing an efficient and safe alternative to thermal methods. This pneumatic approach eliminates thermal injury risks and fluid imbalance while maintaining high productivity in polyp removal.
3Strength
If robust tools designed for fibroid removal are used, then larger and firmer objects can be removed, but the devices become larger, more complex, and more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing a device specifically tailored for polyp characteristics (soft, gelatinous tissue) rather than using robust tools designed for harder fibroids. The device features localized mechanical separation elements and vacuum suction points optimized for polyp consistency, enabling effective removal of soft polyps with a simpler, smaller, and less expensive device compared to robust fibroid removal tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters from those required for fibroid removal (high mechanical strength, robust cutting mechanisms) to parameters suitable for polyp removal (controlled vacuum suction, gentle mechanical separation). This parameter adjustment allows the use of a simpler, smaller device that is mechanically less complex but highly effective for soft polyp removal, eliminating the need for expensive robust tools designed for harder tissues.
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 facilitates safer, faster, and more cost-effective polyp removal with reduced risk of complications, allowing for procedures to be performed in a doctor's office rather than a hospital, using vacuum suction and mechanical separation to efficiently remove polyps without causing significant uterine trauma or fluid imbalance.
Implementation Method 1
a spring positioned to bias the inner tubular body in an extended direction with respect to the outer tubular body
Implementation Method 2
remove polyps through one or both of vacuum suction and mechanical separation
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A polyp removal device comprises an outer tubular body; an inner tubular body; a tubular cutter coupled to or formed as part of the distal end of the inner tubular body; a spring positioned to bias the inner tubular body in an extended direction with respect to the outer tubular body; a handle coupled to the proximal end of the outer tubular body; an actuation member movably coupled to the handle; and a disconnect mechanism for selectively coupling the actuation member to the inner tubular body and decoupling the actuation member from the inner tubular body, the disconnect mechanism is configured to automatically decouple the inner tubular body from the actuation member when the actuation member is moved in a first direction for a distance greater than a predetermined distance.