Retractable Needle Suture Device for Laparoscopic Orifice Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for closing access orifices created during laparoscopy, especially for trocars with diameters greater than 8 mm, are challenging due to the difficulty in performing blind knotting operations, which can lead to post-operative complications.
Innovation Solution
A device with a tubular body and retractable superelastic needles that can be controlled to deploy symmetrically on either side of the incision, allowing for secure suture placement and knot formation, utilizing a coaxial operating head for precise alignment and a removable tip for thread management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If blind knotting is used to close the orifice, then the closure operation can be performed with simple equipment, but the reliability and safety of the closure deteriorates due to inability to visualize the suture process
Solution Approach 1:
The closure device is nested within the trocar body, with the tubular body containing retractable arms and needles that can be deployed from the trocar. This nesting allows the complex closure mechanism to be delivered through the simple trocar structure while maintaining full functionality for visualized suture placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The device pre-positions the suture thread and needles in a controlled manner before the actual knotting operation. The retractable arms and needles are prepared in advance within the trocar, allowing the surgeon to visualize and control each step of the suture placement rather than performing blind knotting.
2Ease of operation
If the trocar is removed early to perform knotting, then the suture can be tied externally, but the precision and control of suture placement deteriorates due to loss of visual guidance
Solution Approach 1:
The device features dynamic, retractable arms and needles that can be deployed and retracted as needed. The arms can be extended to position the suture thread precisely at the orifice site, then retracted to allow needle manipulation, providing both precision and operational flexibility without requiring trocar removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular body acts as an intermediary structure that provides a controlled environment for suture placement. It holds the retractable arms and needles, allowing precise manipulation of the suture thread while maintaining visual guidance, and then facilitates the transition to external knotting when the orifice is sufficiently closed.
3Manufacturing precision
If symmetric suture placement is achieved through controlled needle deployment, then the closure precision improves, but the device complexity increases due to multiple control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs asymmetric control mechanisms where the left and right needles can be independently controlled through separate control members. This asymmetric design allows precise independent positioning of each needle to achieve symmetric suture placement at the orifice, with each side adjustable according to specific anatomical requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system is segmented into independent control members for each needle and arm combination. This segmentation allows the surgeon to control each component separately, achieving precise symmetric placement without requiring complex coordinated control of all elements simultaneously, thereby managing device complexity through modular control.
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
Enables safe and effective closure of access orifices by allowing the surgeon to visualize the suture process, reducing the risk of complications and improving the precision of the knotting operation.
Implementation Method 1
the needles are made of a superelastic alloy
Data Source
Figure 1~7
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
This device comprises an elongate tubular body (1) able to be engaged so that it can slide inside a trocar (T) equipped with a viewing system and to protrude by one of its ends beyond the orifice, said end having retractable arms (4a, 4b) and retractable needles (5a, 5b) able to form, on either side of the orifice, in the thickness of the wall, channels oriented angularly and symmetrically relative to said orifice and to grasp at least one suture thread (F) packaged in a cylindrical end-piece (3) at the protruding end of the tubular body (1), said needles (5a, 5b) being positioned in oriented housings formed in the thickness of the body to protrude therefrom angularly symmetrically and pass through openings (2a, 2b) in the trocar in order to grasp the strands of the thread supported by the arms (4a, 4b) to form a loop on one side of the orifice and to allow the strands of said loop to be engaged in the channels in order to be recovered on the other side of the orifice after removal of the trocar and the body, to make a knot.