Rotatable Staple Holder for Secure Surgical Insertion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical staple inserters fail to securely retain staples during insertion and efficiently remove them afterward without interfering with the staple's positioning, leading to potential inaccuracies and complications in surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A staple inserter design featuring a rotatable staple holder assembly that engages and disengages the surgical staple, utilizing a metallic engagement member and a plastic inserter body to securely hold the staple in an opened configuration during insertion and easily detach afterward, allowing for precise placement and quick removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional staple inserter is used, then the staple can be inserted, but the inserter cannot securely retain the staple during insertion and cannot be easily removed afterward
Solution Approach 1:
The staple holder assembly is designed to be rotatable relative to the surgical staple, transitioning between an engaged position (where it securely retains the staple) and a disengaged position (where it allows easy removal). This dynamic positioning mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling secure retention only when needed during insertion, while allowing effortless removal afterward without interfering with staple positioning.
2Manufacturing precision
If the staple inserter is designed to securely hold the staple, then insertion accuracy is improved, but the inserter becomes difficult to remove afterward
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable staple holder assembly provides a dynamic solution where the engagement members securely hold the staple during insertion for high accuracy, but can be rotated to a disengaged position for easy removal. This eliminates the trade-off between secure holding and easy removal by making the holding function conditional on the rotational position.
Solution Approach 2:
The staple holder assembly is segmented into rotatable engagement members that can independently engage and disengage from the staple. This segmentation allows the insertion function (secure holding) and removal function (easy detachment) to be independently optimized by controlling the rotational position of the engagement members.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the staple holder assembly engages the staple, then the staple is retained in an opened configuration, but the inserter cannot be quickly removed afterward
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable staple holder assembly maintains the staple in a stable opened configuration during insertion through engagement of the engagement members. However, the same rotational mechanism allows quick disengagement and removal of the inserter afterward, eliminating the time loss by enabling rapid transition between the stable holding state and the removed state.
Data Source
AI summary
A staple inserter (12) for use with a surgical staple (10) during a surgical procedure, the surgical staple (10) including a middle section (14) and two side sections (16) that cantilever away from the middle section (14), the surgical staple (10) being selectively movable between a relaxed configuration and an opened configuration, the staple inserter (12) comprising a staple holder assembly (20) that is rotatable in a first direction relative to the surgical staple (10) to selectively engage and retain the surgical staple (10). The staple holder assembly (20) includes (i) a first engagement member (32) that is rotatable in the first direction relative to the surgical staple (10) to selectively engage and retain the surgical staple (10), and (ii) a second engagement member (32) that is rotatable in the first direction relative to the surgical staple (10) to selectively engage and retain the surgical staple (10).