Replaceable Staple Cartridge Knife for Consistent Cutting Quality
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical stapling devices face challenges in maintaining the sharpness of the cutting blade after multiple firings, leading to reduced cutting quality due to repeated use.
Innovation Solution
A surgical stapling device design that includes a replaceable staple cartridge with a knife pivotably coupled to an actuation sled, where the knife and sled are replaced after each firing, ensuring a sharp cutting blade for each use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a replaceable staple cartridge is used to reduce costs, then the cost per procedure decreases, but the cutting blade becomes dull after repeated use reducing cutting quality
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two replaceable components: the staple cartridge and the knife assembly. Each contains a fresh cutting blade, allowing independent replacement. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling cost-effective reuse of the stapler body while maintaining cutting quality through frequent, inexpensive replacement of only the knife component.
Solution Approach 2:
The knife assembly with cutting blade is designed as a disposable component that is replaced after each use or when dullness is detected. This allows the use of inexpensive, single-use cutting blades that ensure sharp cutting quality without requiring expensive, durable blades to be reused across multiple procedures.
2Ease of manufacture
If a replaceable staple cartridge is used to reduce costs, then the cost per procedure decreases, but the device complexity increases due to additional replacement components
Solution Approach 1:
The knife assembly is merged with the staple cartridge as a single replaceable unit. Both components are loaded together and replaced simultaneously, simplifying the replacement process despite the added complexity of the knife mechanism. The combined design ensures that cutting and stapling functions are coordinated while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
3Manufacturing precision
If the knife is pivotably coupled to allow movement from shielded to exposed position, then cutting quality is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The knife is designed with dynamic movement capability, pivoting between a shielded retracted position and an exposed cutting position. This dynamic mechanism allows the sharp blade to be exposed only when needed for cutting, maintaining cutting quality while minimizing the complexity of the exposure mechanism through simple pivot motion rather than complex actuation systems.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A surgical stapling device includes cartridge assembly having a replaceable staple cartridge. The replaceable staple cartridge includes a knife having a cutting blade that is movable between a shielded position and an exposed position in response to advancement of a drive assembly of the stapling device. In aspects of the disclosure, the knife is pivotably coupled to an actuation sled of the cartridge assembly and is biased by a resilient finger on the actuation sled to move the cutting blade to the shielded position.