Surgical Retractor with Tissue Loading Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical retractors lack the ability to monitor tissue loading and trauma during anterior cervical decompression and fusion procedures, leading to potential long-lasting post-operative dysphagia in patients, as the extent of tissue trauma is not effectively quantified.
Innovation Solution
A surgical retractor system equipped with sensors to measure tissue parameters such as loading stress, trauma, and other characteristics, communicating this information to healthcare providers through a processing system to alert them of excessive trauma and adjust retractor pressure accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional retractors are used to maintain an open surgical site, then surgical access is provided, but excessive loading and trauma to the tissue occur without monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism by placing sensors on the retractor blades that continuously monitor tissue loading parameters and provide real-time feedback to the surgeon through a display system. This allows the surgeon to adjust retractor positioning and loading to minimize tissue trauma while maintaining adequate surgical exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical-only retractor system with an integrated sensor system that uses electronic sensing and digital display to monitor and control tissue loading. Sensors measure parameters such as force, pressure, or strain on the retractor blades and convert this mechanical information into electrical signals for processing and display.
2Area of stationary object
If retractors apply sufficient force to maintain surgical site openness, then access is improved, but tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system provides continuous feedback on the force being applied to the tissue, allowing the surgeon to maintain the minimum necessary loading to keep the surgical site open while avoiding excessive forces that would cause tissue damage. The display shows real-time loading parameters that can be monitored and adjusted.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors changes in loading parameters over time and can alert the surgeon when parameters approach thresholds that may indicate impending tissue damage. This allows dynamic adjustment of retractor positioning and loading to maintain tissue integrity while preserving surgical access.
3Ease of operation
If surgeons rely on tactile sensation to gauge retractor loading, then operation is simple, but measurement precision is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the surgeon's tactile sensing capability with electronic sensors that provide precise, quantitative measurements of tissue loading. The sensors can detect forces and pressures that are below the threshold of human tactile perception, providing much more accurate and objective data about the actual loading on the tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary measurement and display system between the surgeon and the tissue. Instead of directly sensing tissue loading through tactile feedback, the surgeon uses the sensor system as an intermediary that translates mechanical loading into visual information on a display, enabling more precise control.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for monitoring the characteristics of tissue adjacent a surgical site and communicating that information to a health care provider includes a retractor, a sensor, and a processing system. The sensor is disposed on the retractor and is configured to measure a parameter indicative of at least one characteristic of the tissue adjacent the first or the second blade. The processing system is in communication with the sensor and configured and arranged to receive information from the sensor indicative of the measured parameter. It includes a threshold stored therein indicative of excessive trauma to the tissue and it is configured in a manner such that it compares the received information to the stored threshold and communicates information to the health care provider regarding the comparison.