Rongeur With Detachable Tips For Disposable Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rongeurs lack detachable tips, leading to potential footplate breakage, dull cutting edges, and surgeon fatigue, with limited options for sterilization and single-use functionality.
Innovation Solution
A rongeur design featuring an elongated shank and crossbar with detachable tips, where the tips are selectively connected via reduced diameter posts and bores, allowing for easy attachment and detachment, and a spring-biased release mechanism for secure locking and unlocking, enabling one-use or disposable functionality and reduced fatigue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rongeur uses a fixed footplate design, then the structure is simple and durable, but the cutting edges become dull and the footplate may break, requiring sterilization cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The rongeur is divided into separate components: a reusable handle assembly and disposable tips containing the footplate and cutting edges. This segmentation allows the critical cutting components to be replaced after single use, eliminating sterilization requirements while maintaining structural simplicity in the permanent handle portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The tip components containing the footplate and cutting edges are designed as disposable, single-use elements. These inexpensive replaceable tips are discarded after one use, eliminating the need for sterilization cycles and ensuring fresh cutting edges, while the expensive handle assembly remains reusable.
2Ease of operation
If the rongeur uses a fixed footplate design, then the structure is simple, but the cutting edges become dull and surgeon fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tip attachment mechanism transitions from a static fixed connection to a dynamic replaceable connection. The spring-loaded detent system with cam surfaces allows tips to be quickly inserted and locked into position, providing firm holding during use while enabling rapid replacement when cutting edges dull, thus maintaining optimal cutting performance throughout the instrument's lifecycle.
3Reliability
If the rongeur uses a detachable tip design, then the cutting edges remain sharp and footplate breakage is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tip attachment mechanism is designed to be self-servicing through its spring-loaded detent and cam surface system. The spring automatically engages the detent with the cam surface when a tip is inserted, providing automatic locking without requiring additional fastening steps or complex adjustment mechanisms, thus minimizing added complexity while ensuring reliable tip retention.
Data Source
AI summary
A rongeur has an elongated shank having a distal end and a proximal end. An elongated crossbar, which moves between a retracted position and a tissue capturing position position, has a distal end and a proximal end and reciprocates axially with respect to the shank. A first tip is selectively connected to the shank. The first tip has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end has a reduced diameter post. In the selectively connected position, the reduced diameter post of the first tip is received in a bore of the shank. A second tip is selectively connected to the crossbar. The second tip has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end has a reduced diameter post. In the selectively connected position, the reduced diameter post of the second tip is received in a bore of the crossbar.