Reusable Control Attachment for Disposable Surgical Staplers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical staplers face challenges with modularity and reusability, leading to excessive waste and high costs due to single-use components, particularly with the integration of advanced electronic features.
Innovation Solution
A surgical stapler system with a disposable handle assembly and a removable, reusable control attachment that includes an energy source and controller, allowing for aseptic sealing and electrical communication with a motor assembly, enabling the stapler to be reused by swapping the control attachment between disposable units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If surgical staplers integrate advanced electronic features, then functionality and precision are improved, but waste and cost increase due to single-use components
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical stapler is divided into two distinct segments: a disposable handle assembly containing mechanical components and a reusable control attachment containing electronic features (controller, energy source, motor assembly). This segmentation allows the electronic components to be reused across multiple procedures while only the sterile disposable portion is discarded, directly reducing waste and cost while preserving advanced electronic functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The control attachment with controller, energy source, and motor assembly is designed as a universal reusable component that can be paired with multiple disposable handle assemblies. This multi-functionality allows the same electronic control system to serve numerous surgical procedures, eliminating the need to discard expensive electronic features with each use and thereby reducing both waste and operational costs
2Reliability
If surgical staplers are designed as single-use devices, then sterility and reliability are improved, but cost and waste increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates sterile disposable components (handle assembly) from non-sterile reusable components (control attachment). The disposable handle assembly maintains sterility for single use, while the control attachment is excluded from the sterile field and reused, thus preserving sterility assurance for critical components while avoiding waste of non-sterile electronic parts
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic control features (controller, energy source, motor assembly) are extracted from the disposable handle assembly and placed in a separate reusable control attachment. This extraction allows the electronic components to be removed from the sterile disposable pathway, enabling their reuse without compromising the sterility and single-use nature of the handle assembly that actually contacts tissue
3Loss of substance
If control attachment is made reusable, then cost and waste are reduced, but complexity of maintaining sterility increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the system into sterile disposable and non-sterile reusable portions, the complexity of sterility management is actually reduced. The reusable control attachment is clearly designated as non-sterile and remains outside the sterile field, eliminating the need to sterilize electronic components. Only the simple disposable handle assembly requires sterility processing, making overall sterility management less complex despite the reusable component
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
This design reduces waste and lowers costs by allowing the reuse of electronic components while maintaining sterility and functionality, facilitating efficient deployment of staples and tissue cutting.
Implementation Method 1
a motor assembly disposed within the handle assembly and configured to drive the firing assembly
Implementation Method 2
an energy source in electrical connection with the motor assembly
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a stapler system. The stapler system includes a disposable surgical stapler and a removable and reusable control attachment. The control attachment includes an energy source in electrical connection with a motor assembly in the disposable surgical stapler. The control attachment includes a controller in electrical communication with the motor assembly and configured to output a motor drive signal to the motor assembly such that the motor assembly drives at least a portion of the firing assembly.