Rear-viewable Port Closure Device for Single-Port Laparoscopic Suture Placement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current suturing devices are inadequate for closing large and irregular defects, particularly in single port laparoscopic procedures, as they require intra-abdominal visualization, which is not possible without additional ports, leading to risks of tissue injury and increased surgical duration and complications.
Innovation Solution
A rear-viewable port closure device with a scope channel and reflector that allows visualization of suture placement from inside the abdomen without additional ports, enabling safe and efficient closure of defects through a single access point.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single port is used for laparoscopic procedures, then the number of surgical incisions is reduced, but intra-abdominal visualization during suture placement becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the suture placement device with an integrated optical system including a light source, mirror, and scope channel within the single port device. This merging allows the device to simultaneously perform suture placement and provide intra-abdominal visualization through the same single port, eliminating the need for separate visualization ports while maintaining surgical visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mirror as an intermediary optical element positioned within the abdominal cavity. The mirror reflects light and images back through the scope channel to the external observer, enabling indirect visualization of the suture placement site without requiring direct line-of-sight access through additional ports
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If additional ports are inserted for visualization, then intra-abdominal viewability is achieved, but the number of surgical incisions and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal port device that performs multiple functions: it serves as both the suture placement mechanism and the visualization portal. The integrated scope channel and optical system allow the single device to simultaneously handle both therapeutic (suture placement) and diagnostic (visualization) functions that traditionally required separate ports and devices
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges previously separate functions (suture placement and visualization) into a single integrated device. The scope channel, light source, and mirror system are combined with the suture placement mechanism, allowing both functions to operate through one port, thereby reducing the number of incisions and devices required
3Productivity
If suturing is performed without visualization, then surgical duration is reduced, but the risk of tissue injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a visual feedback system where the surgeon can directly observe the suture placement process through the scope channel and mirror reflection. This real-time visual feedback allows the surgeon to monitor suture penetration depth, tissue capture, and needle placement accuracy, enabling safe and precise suturing without requiring additional visualization ports
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 safe and efficient closure of defects by providing internal visualization during suture placement, reducing the risk of tissue injury and shortening surgical duration, while allowing for precise placement of sutures even in single port laparoscopic procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a reflector at a tip region of the distal portion having a proximal reflective surface and an opposite distal surface, in which the proximal reflective surface is oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is operable to reflect a rear view of the suture placement assembly to the lens end
Implementation Method 2
an obscured light source connected to the cannular housing having an illumination portion disposed outside of the rear view and outside of a viewable span of the lens end, which is operable for illuminating the rear view and the viewable span when the illumination portion is activated
Data Source
AI summary
A rear-viewable port closure device is provided having a cannular housing, a suture placement assembly, a scope channel defined through the cannular housing for receiving a lens end of a surgical scope, a reflector at a tip region of the of a distal portion of the cannular housing, and an obscured light source, which, when an illumination portion of the light source is activated, provides a reflected rear view to the lens end that is viewable by the surgical scope. The device can be arranged for percutaneous insertion through a defect to an interior cavity of a body, and the reflector can be longitudinally translatable within the interior cavity for adjusting a span of the rear view and a breath of a scope view. A method for rear-viewable, in vivo, suture placement and port closure using the device can include evaluating suture placement via the surgical scope.