Shapeable Surgical Passer for Cable Manipulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical cables and sutures, particularly polymer ones, are challenging to manipulate in confined spaces due to their flexible and elastic nature, and existing solutions like swaging needles can be cumbersome and damaging, especially when dealing with cables featuring an inner core encapsulated in a braided jacket.
Innovation Solution
A shapeable passer made from a flexible tubular extrusion with parallel lumens, one for the surgical cable and another for a malleable stiffener wire, allowing the passer to be bent and shaped intraoperatively for optimal passage around anatomical structures, minimizing bulk and maintaining desired shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a needle is swaged onto the cable to provide rigidity for manipulation, then the ease of operation improves, but the device complexity increases and the cable structure may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate components: a passer tool with a lumen and a malleable stiffener element that can be inserted and removed independently from the cable. This segmentation allows the stiffener to provide temporary rigidity during manipulation without permanently altering the cable structure, thereby improving ease of operation while avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The passer tool acts as an intermediary device that temporarily holds the malleable stiffener element against the cable during manipulation. This intermediary approach allows the stiffener to be applied only when needed for shaping and manipulation, then removed, avoiding permanent modification of the cable and reducing overall device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a needle is swaged onto the inner core to provide rigidity, then the ease of operation improves, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase due to jacket installation complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The malleable stiffener element is pre-formed into the desired shape before insertion into the passer lumen. This preliminary shaping allows the stiffener to be ready for immediate use during surgery without requiring complex jacket installation or modification during the procedure, thereby improving ease of operation while reducing manufacturing precision requirements.
3Ease of operation
If a swaged needle is used to provide rigidity, then the ease of operation improves, but the adaptability decreases due to fixed geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The malleable stiffener element can be dynamically shaped and reshaped during surgery to match different anatomical configurations and surgical requirements. Unlike a fixed-geometry swaged needle, the malleable stiffener allows the surgeon to adapt the device geometry in real-time, thereby improving both ease of operation and adaptability simultaneously.
4Ease of operation
If a bulky instrument is used to provide a pathway for passing cables, then the ease of operation improves, but the invasiveness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The passer is designed as a thin, flexible tubular extrusion with a lumen that can conform to narrow anatomical passages. This flexible, minimally invasive design provides the necessary pathway for cable passage while causing minimal tissue trauma, thereby improving ease of operation without increasing invasiveness.
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
Facilitates the manipulation of surgical cables and sutures in tight spaces by allowing them to be shaped and passed through anatomical structures with minimal invasion, reducing the risk of damage and improving access, while maintaining sterility and biocompatibility.
Implementation Method 1
A shapeable passer for surgical cable is made from a flexible tubular extrusion which includes at least one lumen arranged to receive the leading end of a surgical cable, and at least one lumen arranged to contain a malleable stiffener element, typically a metal wire
Data Source
AI summary
A shapeable passer for surgical cable or suture is made from a flexible tubular extrusion which includes at least one lumen arranged to receive the leading end of a surgical cable or suture, and at least one lumen arranged to contain a malleable stiffener element. The lumens and stiffener element are arranged parallel to each other and lengthwise along longitudinal axis of the extrusion, such that the malleable stiffener element enables the malleable portion of the passer to be shaped as desired. The leading ends of the lumens are preferably sealed, capped or tipped, while the trailing ends of the lumens arranged to receive the surgical cables or sutures are preferably flared to facilitate manual insertion of the cables or sutures.