Reusable Surgical Tip With Two-Part PEEK Hub for Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive surgical instruments are burdensome to sterilize due to their length, often requiring multiple batches and large sterilization pouches, and disposable tips lack sufficient cleaning and sterilization, leading to waste and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A reusable surgical tip design featuring a movable end effector, a multi-part hub with a conductive distal hub and an insulating proximal hub made of PEEK, allowing for easy detachment and sterilization, and a modular system with interchangeable end effectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire shaft is sterilized, then the instrument can be reused, but the sterilization process becomes burdensome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into separate components: a reusable handle and a disposable shaft assembly. This segmentation allows the handle to be sterilized and reused while the shaft assembly can be disposed of, eliminating the need to sterilize the entire instrument and significantly reducing sterilization time and resource requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft assembly is extracted as a separate removable component from the handle. This extraction enables independent processing of the shaft (disposal) from the handle (sterilization and reuse), solving the contradiction by allowing the handle to be reused without the burden of sterilizing the entire instrument including the shaft.
2Reliability
If disposable tips are used, then sterilization is avoided, but waste increases and costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is segmented into a reusable handle and a disposable shaft assembly. This segmentation allows the expensive handle component to be reused multiple times while only the simpler shaft assembly is disposed of, reducing overall waste compared to disposing of the entire instrument, while still avoiding the need to sterilize the shaft assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The reusable handle is recovered and reused for multiple surgical procedures, while the disposable shaft assembly is discarded after a single use. This approach recovers the valuable, expensive components for repeated use while discarding only the less valuable shaft portion, thereby reducing waste and costs compared to complete disposal.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If heat-shrink tubing is used on disposable tips, then electrical insulation is provided, but the tubing becomes loose and detaches during sterilization attempts
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft assembly including the insulation structure is designed as a disposable component that is not subjected to sterilization. This eliminates the problem of heat-shrink tubing loosening during sterilization, as the shaft assembly is discarded after single use rather than being sterilized. The insulation function is maintained during the intended use period without the destabilizing effect of sterilization processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A reusable tip for minimally invasive surgical instruments can include an end effector, a two-part hub, and a yoke. The end effector can include one or more movable portions enabling the end effector to move between first (e.g., open) and second (e.g., closed) positions via manipulation of the yoke within the hub. The hub can include a proximal hub and a distal hub coupled together. The end effector can be coupled to the distal hub, which can be made of a metal to provide high strength and secure shape to the distal hub. The proximal hub can be made of an autoclavable insulation material capable of maintaining a removable coupling with a control shaft. The proximal hub can be made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK).