Rhomboid Surgical Template for Precise Skin Flap Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgeons face challenges in selecting and designing precise rhomboid skin flaps for wound closure, particularly in urgent situations where time for planning is limited, due to the need for precise geometry, skin biomechanics, and aesthetic considerations.
Innovation Solution
A surgical template with a rhomboid-shaped opening and strategically placed holes to guide marker placement on the skin, allowing for accurate marking of excision and incision lines, facilitating the design of a rhomboid skin flap, which can be used to close wounds by transferring the pattern directly onto the skin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a surgeon manually designs and measures rhomboid flap patterns without a template, then flexibility in handling various wound shapes is maintained, but precision and accuracy of geometric construction deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The template provides a pre-fabricated rhomboid pattern that can be copied onto the patient's skin, eliminating the need for manual geometric construction. The template includes the exact rhomboid shape with pre-marked excision and incision lines, allowing direct transfer of the precise pattern to the surgical site.
Solution Approach 2:
The template performs the complex geometric design work in advance, before the surgical procedure. The rhomboid pattern, excision lines, and incision lines are all pre-calculated and pre-marked on the template, so the surgeon only needs to position and transfer the pattern rather than perform the complex measurements and constructions during surgery.
2Manufacturing precision
If a surgeon performs detailed planning and review of rhomboid flap design, then accuracy of the procedure is improved, but time required for preparation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The template embodies all the detailed planning and geometric calculations in advance. The rhomboid pattern is pre-designed with correct proportions, and the excision and incision lines are pre-marked, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual planning and review during the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of performing detailed planning from scratch for each case, the surgeon copies the pre-planned rhomboid pattern from the template onto the patient's skin. This copying process is rapid and maintains accuracy without requiring extensive time for review and calculation.
3Measurement precision
If a surgeon uses a template for marking skin flaps, then precision and accuracy of incision patterns are improved, but device complexity and need for additional tools increase
Solution Approach 1:
The template serves multiple functions in a single device: it provides the rhomboid shape guide, marks excision lines, marks incision lines, and indicates the direction of flap transposition. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple separate marking tools and complex procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The template combines multiple marking functions into one integrated tool. The rhomboid opening, excision line markings, incision line markings, and directional indicators are all merged into a single template that can be positioned and used simultaneously for all marking tasks.
4Productivity
If a surgeon designs rhomboid flaps for acute wound closures without pre-planning, then rapid response to urgent cases is achieved, but geometric precision and aesthetic outcomes deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The template performs the time-consuming geometric design work in advance, creating a ready-to-use pattern that can be quickly applied during urgent surgical procedures. The pre-designed rhomboid pattern eliminates the need for slow manual measurements and constructions, allowing rapid yet precise marking even in acute settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgeon can rapidly copy the pre-designed rhomboid pattern from the template onto the patient's skin during urgent procedures. This copying process is much faster than manual geometric construction while maintaining the same level of geometric precision and aesthetic quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical template enables marking a pattern on skin to create a skin flap for closing an opening in the skin. The template is a planar sheet having an opening in the shape of a rhomboid. The sheet has a first pair of holes linearly spaced along an axis passing through opposed obtuse corners of the rhomboid. A second pair and a third pair of holes are spaced from the first pair of holes such that a line from adjacent holes of the first pair of holes to the second pair or third pair of holes is parallel to and equal in length to the adjacent side of the rhomboid. The edges of the sheet defining the opening mechanically guide a marker for marking excision lines. Each of the pairs of holes define axes therebetween for marking incision lines on the skin forming a pattern for the skin flap.