Smoke Evacuation Pencil With Seamless Rotatable Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art surgical pencils with smoke evacuation systems are cumbersome due to their larger size, weight, and frictional resistance, leading to surgeon fatigue and reduced visibility during operations.
Innovation Solution
A seamless rotatable smoke flow channel within the surgical pencil minimizes friction and torque by eliminating seals and swivel fits, ensuring continuous suction without leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a smoke evacuation system is integrated into the surgical pencil with seals and swivel fits, then smoke evacuation function is achieved, but friction and torque increase causing surgeon fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the seal and swivel fitting components from the smoke evacuation system. Instead of having a sealed connection between the hose and pencil body, the design allows the hose to connect directly to the pencil body opening without intermediate sealing components, thereby eliminating the friction and torque issues caused by seals and swivel fits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the smoke evacuation hose connection from the pencil body structure, allowing independent movement of the hose relative to the pencil body. This segmentation enables the hose to move freely without creating rotational friction against the pencil body, reducing torque on the surgeon's hand.
2Reliability
If seals and swivel fits are used in the smoke evacuation channel, then suction loss is prevented, but friction increases causing resistance to pencil rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates seals and swivel fittings from the smoke evacuation channel design. The smoke hose connects directly to the pencil body opening without intermediate sealing components, removing the source of friction that causes resistance to pencil rotation while maintaining suction effectiveness.
3Reliability
If the smoke evacuation pencil includes additional components for smoke channels and seals, then smoke evacuation capability is provided, but the pencil size increases obstructing surgeon's view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes unnecessary components such as seals, swivel fittings, and complex smoke channel structures from the surgical pencil design. By eliminating these components, the pencil diameter is reduced, improving the surgeon's view of the surgical site while maintaining smoke evacuation functionality through a simplified direct connection design.
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
Reduces surgeon fatigue and improves operational ease by allowing smooth rotation and continuous smoke evacuation, maintaining optimal pencil positioning and reducing ergonomic strain.
Implementation Method 1
minimizes friction and torque by eliminating seals and swivel fits
Implementation Method 2
ensuring continuous suction without leakage
Data Source
AI summary
A smoke evacuation pencil having an internal rotatable smoke evacuation channel with the distal end opening directly connected to the proximal end smoke hose fitting without a proximal seal and the distal end opening located at or near the distal nose of the surgical pencil overlapping an active electrode forming a one-piece channel. The internal smoke evacuation channel having a sufficient length to diameter ratio creating a near friction free rotation of the internal smoke evacuation channel. The seamless internal channel from proximal end to distal end eliminates the need for seals or friction fits commonly found on prior art smoke evacuation pencils having multi-part smoke evacuation swivel components.