Skirted Hernia Implant Position Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tissue repair implants with skirts used in open ventral hernia repair procedures face challenges such as difficulty in handling, poor visibility during fixation, and mechanical distortion, leading to potential recurrence of hernias and surgical adhesions due to the skirt's tendency to roll during tack placement.
Innovation Solution
The novel tissue repair implant features a planar base member with a top and bottom surface and a top planar skirt member that extends inwardly, incorporating position indicators to alert the surgeon of any rollover of the skirt, ensuring proper fixation and minimizing mechanical distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a skirted mesh implant is used for open ventral hernia repair, then the implant can be affixed to the parietal wall via the skirt, but the skirt may roll during tacking causing distortion and poor repair outcomes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies visual indicators (color changes or visible markers) on the implant to alert the surgeon when the skirt is rolling or improperly positioned. This allows real-time detection and correction of skirt distortion during the tacking process, preventing poor repair outcomes while maintaining the fixation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates visual feedback mechanisms through indicators that provide immediate information to the surgeon about the skirt's position and integrity during fixation. This feedback loop enables the surgeon to adjust tacking technique to prevent skirt rolling, ensuring reliable repair outcomes.
2Device complexity
If the surgeon cannot directly view the outer periphery of the skirt during affixation, then the procedure is simpler, but it is impossible to detect skirt rolling or distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded indicators or visible markers on the skirt and base layer that change appearance or become visible when the skirt rolls or distorts. This allows the surgeon to detect position issues without needing direct line-of-sight to the outer periphery, solving both visibility and detection difficulties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual indicators as an intermediary element between the skirt structure and the surgeon's observation. These indicators translate the physical state of the skirt (rolled vs. flat) into visible signals that can be detected from a distance, eliminating the need for direct viewing of the outer periphery.
3Ease of operation
If the skirt extends beyond the base member periphery, then fixation to the parietal wall is enabled, but viscera contact may cause irritation and adhesions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses visual indicators to show the exact extent of the skirt's outer periphery relative to the base member. This allows the surgeon to control the tacking depth and position, ensuring the skirt provides adequate fixation coverage without extending beyond the necessary boundary where it could contact and irritate viscera.
Data Source
AI summary
Novel tissue repair implants are disclosed. The tissue repair implants have a bottom planar base member and an upper skirt member extending about the periphery of the base member. The implants have at least one position indicating feature that alerts the surgeon if the skirt member has rolled over or displaced during fixation to tissue in order to assist in preventing fixation of the skirt in an improper position to provide an optimal surgical repair.