Robotic Clip Applier With Repositionable Jaws
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical instruments for applying left atrial appendage occlusion clips lack efficient mechanisms for repositioning and deployment without requiring handle control, making them cumbersome for minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A medical instrument featuring an end effector with repositionable jaws and a pulley system that allows for the deployment of an open-ended occlusion clip without a handle, utilizing a robotic grasper for precise positioning and deployment, and a method for inserting and withdrawing the occlusion clip through a trocar without piercing the left atrial appendage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If current medical instruments are used for applying left atrial appendage occlusion clips, then deployment is possible, but the instruments lack efficient repositioning mechanisms and require handle control making them cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is divided into modular components: a handle assembly, a deployable arm assembly, and a clip applicator. The deployable arm can be independently repositioned relative to the handle, allowing efficient adjustment without manipulating the entire instrument. This segmentation enables the distal components to be repositioned while the proximal handle remains stable.
Solution Approach 2:
A deployable arm assembly acts as an intermediary between the handle and the clip applicator. This intermediate structure provides mechanical advantage and enables precise positioning of the clip while reducing the complexity of direct handle-to-clip control. The deployable arm serves as a mediator that translates handle movements into precise clip positioning.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the occlusion clip is deployed by passing the tip between opposing clamping surfaces, then deployment is achieved, but tissue trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of passing the tissue tip between the clamping surfaces (conventional method), the invention inverts the approach by having the clamping surfaces approach the tissue from opposite directions and close around it. The occlusion clip is delivered in an open configuration and closed around the left atrial appendage, avoiding the need to pass tissue through a narrow gap and reducing mechanical trauma.
Solution Approach 2:
The occlusion clip is pre-formed in an open configuration with arms that can envelop the target tissue. The clip is delivered to the surgical site in this open state, allowing the tissue to be positioned within the clip's embrace before closure. This preliminary positioning avoids the trauma associated with forcing tissue through closed clamps.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the tip of the left atrial appendage is passed between opposing clamping surfaces, then the clip can be applied, but the structural integrity of the appendage is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional clipping approach by delivering the clip in an open configuration and closing it around the appendage rather than forcing the appendage tip through closed clamps. This reversal preserves the appendage's structural integrity while achieving secure occlusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The occlusion clip utilizes flexible arms that can conform to the shape of the left atrial appendage. These flexible components allow the clip to envelop and secure the appendage without rigid forcing or piercing, maintaining tissue integrity while providing effective occlusion.
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
Enables precise and minimally invasive deployment of the occlusion clip, reducing tissue trauma and improving procedural efficiency by allowing the occlusion clip to be interposed between the base and tip of the left atrial appendage without passing the tip between opposing clamping surfaces, thus facilitating repeatable clamping without affecting the appendage's structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
The end effector includes pulleys operatively coupled to at least one of the pair of repositionable jaws
Implementation Method 2
a first elongated biasing arm coupled to a distal portion of the first elongated occlusion arm; and, a second elongated biasing arm coupled to a distal portion of the second elongated occlusion arm
Data Source
AI summary
A medical instrument comprising an end effector comprising a first jaw configured to be repositionable with respect to a second jaw, the first and second jaws removably mounted to an open-ended occlusion clip, the end effector configured to configured to be removably coupled to an open-ended occlusion clip with a pair of terminal ends and first and second robotic arms, and wherein the end effector includes at least one of a cavity and a projection configured to be engaged by at least one of the first and second robotic arms.