Sensor-Enabled Retractor Feedback for Robotic Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical retraction techniques often cause tissue damage and require frequent manual adjustments, leading to surgical inefficiency and increased risk, as existing retractors lack real-time monitoring and automatic adjustment capabilities.
Innovation Solution
Sensor-enabled retractors equipped with force, pressure, optical, and neuromonitoring sensors, coupled with a surgical robot arm and controller, provide real-time data on retracted anatomy health, enabling automatic and minor adjustments to maintain tissue health without interrupting the procedure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual retractor adjustment is performed frequently to prevent tissue damage, then tissue health is improved, but surgical efficiency deteriorates due to procedure interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements real-time feedback through sensors (force sensors, pressure sensors, optical sensors, neuromonitoring sensors) that continuously monitor tissue health parameters. This feedback loop enables the system to detect when tissue is approaching damage thresholds and automatically adjust retraction forces, eliminating the need for frequent manual interruptions while maintaining tissue health.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractor system performs self-adjustment through automated control mechanisms that respond to sensor data. The system monitors its own performance and automatically modifies retraction forces to prevent tissue damage, eliminating the need for external manual intervention and maintaining continuous surgical operation.
2Ease of operation
If extended retraction force is applied to maintain access to surgical site, then surgical access is improved, but tissue damage increases due to fatigue and necrosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic adjustment of retraction forces based on real-time tissue condition monitoring. Rather than applying static extended forces, the system continuously adapts retraction magnitude to maintain optimal access while preventing tissue damage thresholds from being exceeded, allowing prolonged surgical access without necrosis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters (retraction force, pressure, position) based on sensor feedback to maintain tissue health. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system preserves surgical access while preventing the harmful effects of excessive or prolonged retraction forces.
3Reliability
If retractor position is changed to avoid tissue damage, then tissue health is improved, but surgical procedure time increases due to repositioning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Real-time sensor feedback enables continuous monitoring of tissue health parameters, allowing the system to detect early signs of stress or damage. This early detection permits minor positional adjustments before significant damage occurs, reducing the need for major repositioning interruptions and minimizing procedure time while maintaining tissue health.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary monitoring and detection of tissue stress conditions before damage occurs. By detecting early signs of tissue compromise, the system can make preventive minor adjustments, avoiding the need for time-consuming major repositioning operations later in the procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
Sensor-enabled surgical retractor devices, systems, and methods are disclosed herein that can be coupled to a surgical robot during a robotic or robot-assisted surgical procedure to maintain health of retracted anatomy and prolong the amount of time until a surgical procedure must be interrupted to adjust a retractor. In some embodiments, interruption of a surgical procedure can be avoided by providing for minor and, in some cases, automatically administered, adjustment of retractor devices to alleviate pressure on retracted tissue without requiring surgeon attention or intervention. Fine (e.g., minor) adjustments to the retractor can be made automatically over the course of a surgical procedure to prevent damage to retracted anatomy and increase the time until a major adjustment of the retractor is needed.