Protective Sheath Needle Knife for Minimally Invasive Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tissue penetration devices in minimally invasive surgeries, such as laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures, risk damaging adjacent tissues due to low energy and force requirements, necessitating a safety feature to prevent unintended penetration and a simplified procedure for forming punctures.
Innovation Solution
A tissue-penetrating device with a flexible elongate shaft and a protective sheath that moves between distal and proximal positions to expose or retract a conductive needle tip, preventing unintentional penetration of adjacent tissues, and includes an expandable member to increase the puncture size for easier access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a needle knife is used to penetrate tissue with low energy and force, then tissue penetration is achieved, but adjacent tissues may be unintentionally damaged
Solution Approach 1:
A protective sheath is provided that covers the needle tip before insertion and can be advanced to retract the needle tip after penetration. This preliminary protective measure prevents unintentional damage to adjacent tissues while maintaining the ability to penetrate target tissue effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheath acts as an intermediary between the needle tip and adjacent tissues. It allows controlled exposure of the needle tip for penetration while providing a safety barrier that prevents harmful interactions with surrounding structures.
2Reliability
If a protective sheath is added to prevent unintentional penetration, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sheath serves multiple functions: it protects the needle tip during insertion, allows controlled exposure for penetration, and can be advanced to retract the needle tip after use. This multi-functionality justifies the added structural element by providing comprehensive safety and operational control.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheath is designed to be movable relative to the needle tip, transitioning between extended (protective) and retracted (penetration-enabled) positions. This dynamic capability allows the device to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, providing safety when required and penetration capability when needed.
3Productivity
If the needle tip is always exposed for easy penetration, then penetration efficiency is improved, but risk of damaging adjacent tissue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sheath is pre-positioned to cover the needle tip before the penetration procedure begins. This preliminary protective action ensures safety during device manipulation and insertion, with the option to expose the needle tip only when and where penetration is intentionally required.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static exposed needle tip to a dynamic configuration where the protective sheath can be advanced to retract or pulled back to expose the needle tip. This dynamic control allows optimization between safety and penetration efficiency based on real-time procedural needs.
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 effectively penetrates tissue while protecting adjacent tissues from injury and simplifies the procedure by ensuring precise control over the needle tip's exposure and retraction, reducing the risk of damage and streamlining the puncture formation process.
Implementation Method 1
The needle tip can be conductive and the elongate wire can be adapted to couple to an energy source for delivering energy to the needle tip to facilitate penetration of the needle tip through tissue
Implementation Method 2
The biasing element can be disposed within the protective sheath and around a portion of the elongate shaft
Data Source
AI summary
Various methods and devices are provided for penetrating tissue. In one embodiment, a tissue-penetrating device is provided and includes a flexible elongate shaft and a flexible elongate wire extending through the elongate shaft and having a needle tip at a distal end thereof for penetrating tissue. The needle tip can be conductive and the elongate wire can be adapted to couple to an energy source for delivering energy to the needle tip to facilitate penetration of the needle tip through tissue. The device can also include a protective sheath disposed over at least a portion of the elongate shaft and movable relative to the elongate shaft between a distal position and a proximal position. The protective sheath is configured to either protect the needle tip or electrically isolate the needle tip after the needle tip is penetrated through tissue, thereby preventing unintentional penetration of adjacent tissue.