Retractable Puncture Needle for Minimally Invasive Sling Implantation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating urinary incontinence, such as surgical sling implantation, pose risks of infection, tissue damage, and high patient and operator burden, especially when dealing with thick subcutaneous tissue, and require invasive incisions.
Innovation Solution
A puncture device with a retractable needle system and rotational mechanism that allows for minimally invasive implantation of a living body tissue supporting article, avoiding the urethra and vaginal walls, and enabling safe insertion without incisions, using a puncture apparatus with a urethral-insertion member and restriction means to control the needle's trajectory.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a surgical knife is used to incise the vagina for sling implantation, then the sling can be indwelled into the body, but the patient experiences great invasion and heavy burden with high infection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cutting function from the implantation procedure by using a puncture needle instead of a surgical knife to incise the vagina. This removes the harmful incision while maintaining the ability to deliver the sling, thereby reducing infection risk and patient burden while achieving the same implantation goal.
Solution Approach 2:
The puncture needle serves as an intermediary tool that enables sling delivery without direct surgical incision. The needle creates a controlled puncture pathway through which the sling can be delivered, replacing the need for open surgical access and reducing the harmful effects of traditional incision-based methods.
2Ease of operation
If the vagina is incised to deliver the sling, then the sling can be implanted, but the operator risks fingertip injury and the urethra may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the dangerous incising action from the operator's direct contact with tissue by using a puncture needle system. The needle's sharp tip and controlled insertion mechanism eliminate the risk of operator fingertip injury while maintaining effective tissue penetration for sling delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual incising mechanism with a controlled puncture mechanism. The needle system provides precise mechanical control over tissue penetration, substituting the uncontrolled blade motion with a guided puncture action that reduces both operator risk and tissue damage.
3Device complexity
If a standard puncture needle is used, then the procedure is minimally invasive, but it cannot effectively puncture through thick subcutaneous tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a rotational motion to the puncture needle during insertion, transforming the static puncture action into a dynamic cutting action. This rotational movement enables the needle to effectively penetrate thick subcutaneous tissue while maintaining the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, as the rotation distributes the cutting stress along the needle's length.
4Strength
If the puncture needle rotates during insertion, then thick tissue can be punctured, but the needle may contact and damage the urethra or vaginal wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide member before needle insertion that pre-establishes the correct puncture pathway. This preliminary action guides the rotating needle along the intended trajectory, ensuring that the needle passes through the correct anatomical plane between the urethra and vaginal wall, thereby preventing contact with these sensitive structures while maintaining effective tissue penetration.
Data Source
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AI summary
A puncture device includes a puncture member having a puncture needle 31 for puncturing a living body tissue, a shaft portion, and a connection portion for connecting the puncture needle 31 and the shaft portion to each other. The puncture needle 31 includes a needle main body 311 for puncturing the living body tissue, and an extension needle 316 provided for movement relative to the needle main body 311 along a longitudinal direction of the needle main body 311 and configured to puncture the living body tissue. The puncture device includes, as extension means for moving the extension needle 316 in a direction toward the distal end of the needle main body 311 with respect to the needle main body 311 to extend the puncture needle 31, a pusher for pushing the extension needle 316 to move in the direction toward the distal end of the needle main body 311.