Rotatable Needle Driver with Oblique Jaw for Laparoscopic Knot Tying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intracorporeal knot tying in laparoscopic surgery is challenging due to limited instrument movement and visualization, making it difficult for surgeons to tie knots, especially in small spaces like the pelvis, and existing solutions are often complex, cumbersome, or require multiple instrument exchanges, increasing the risk of injury and scarring.
Innovation Solution
A modified needle driver with a deployable and retractable projection that allows for complete control of the suture, enabling easy knot tying by opening to an oblique angle greater than 90 degrees, eliminating the need for secondary mechanisms and instrument exchanges, and allowing use with standard suture materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If standard knot tying techniques are used in laparoscopic surgery, then surgeons can tie knots in open procedures, but instrument movement is restricted and knot tying becomes extremely difficult in deep cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The needle driver incorporates a rotatable shaft that can be dynamically adjusted during the knot tying process. The shaft rotation capability allows the surgeon to change the orientation of the needle driver tip without removing the instrument, enabling easy formation of loops and knots in confined spaces. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by making knot tying easier while maintaining simple instrument manipulation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple trocars are placed through a single small skin incision for single port surgery, then cosmetic result is improved, but instrument movement is further restricted making knot tying impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable shaft mechanism allows the needle driver to adapt its orientation dynamically within the single port constraint. By rotating the shaft, the surgeon can position the needle driver tip at various angles to form knots despite the restricted entry point, thereby enabling knot tying capability while maintaining the cosmetic benefit of single port surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a rotational degree of freedom to the needle driver, transforming a linearly constrained instrument into one that can operate in multiple orientations. This dimensional change allows the instrument to overcome the spatial restrictions imposed by single port surgery and perform knot tying maneuvers that would otherwise be impossible.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If instruments are placed close together in natural orifice surgery, then no visible skin incision is required, but range of motion is restricted increasing surgery difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable shaft provides dynamic adaptability, allowing the needle driver to adjust its working angle in response to the constrained insertion geometry of natural orifice surgery. This enables the instrument to achieve necessary range of motion for suturing and knot tying despite being introduced through a restricted natural opening with no visible incision.
4Device complexity
If standard needle driver jaw angle is used, then instrument structure is simple, but suture control is insufficient for effective knot tying
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile jaw is designed to open to an asymmetric oblique angle greater than 90 degrees, creating an asymmetric geometry that optimizes suture control. This asymmetric jaw configuration, combined with the rotatable shaft, allows the surgeon to effectively manipulate and control the suture material during knot tying, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and operational effectiveness.
Data Source
AI summary
A modification to a standard needle driver in the form of a deployable and retractable projection at the working end of the needle driver with which the operator can control the suture in order to facilitate tying a knot in the suture. This modification solves the difficult problem of controlling the suture during the rate-limiting step of knot tying allowing for faster, easier knot tying in laparoscopic and single port surgery.