Snap Action Drive for Surgical Fasteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical fastener applicators face challenges in delivering fasteners rapidly and reproducibly, especially when dealing with biologically derived scaffold materials and soft tissues, often resulting in misapplication due to slow penetration and movement issues during the application process.
Innovation Solution
A device utilizing a lever in mechanical cooperation with a resilient element for energy storage, a drive mechanism, and a release mechanism to rapidly deliver surgical fasteners with rotational and axial energy, allowing for instantaneous deployment without the need for compressed air or electric motors, featuring a mechanism that stores energy upon partial lever depression and releases it upon complete depression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a surgical fastener is applied slowly to mesh material, then the mesh material has time to react and distort, but the fastener penetration speed is insufficient causing the mesh to wind up into the threads and preventing effective penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a snap-action mechanism that delivers fastener penetration in a sudden, periodic motion rather than continuous slow movement. The spring-loaded system accumulates energy during the loading phase and releases it in a rapid snap-forward motion, creating a periodic action cycle that ensures sufficient penetration speed while maintaining reliability through consistent energy delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary action by pre-loading the spring mechanism during the loading phase before actual fastener deployment. This preliminary energy storage ensures that when penetration occurs, the fastener is delivered with sufficient velocity to penetrate mesh material before the mesh can distort or wind up around the threads.
2Reliability
If the surgeon must maintain the applicator in a fixed position for several seconds to complete fastener application, then full seating of the fastener can be achieved, but the likelihood of misapplication increases due to movement of the applicator tip relative to the fixation site
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a snap-action mechanism that rushes the fastener through the tissue and mesh in a single rapid motion rather than requiring slow, deliberate advancement. This skipping through the penetration process in one swift action eliminates the need for the surgeon to maintain precise positioning over several seconds, thereby reducing misapplication while ensuring complete fastener seating.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded mechanism provides self-service by automatically delivering the fastener with sufficient force and speed to ensure complete seating without requiring continuous surgeon intervention or maintenance of precise applicator positioning. The stored energy in the spring mechanism drives the fastener through the entire penetration and seating process autonomously once initiated.
3Speed
If compressed gas or electric motors are used to drive the applicator, then control and speed of fastener application are improved, but the number of component parts increases adding to weight, cost, reliability and shelf life issues
Solution Approach 1:
The device extracts and eliminates complex drive systems such as compressed gas tanks, regulators, and electric motors. Instead, it uses a simple spring-loaded mechanism that provides sufficient speed and control for fastener application without the weight, cost, and reliability issues associated with more complex systems. The essential driving function is isolated to a single spring mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs a simple, inexpensive spring mechanism that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. This approach trades the high cost and complexity of reusable compressed gas or electric motor systems for a simpler, more reliable spring mechanism that may be disposable or easily replaceable, improving overall system reliability and reducing shelf life concerns.
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
Enables consistent, rapid, and reproducible deployment of surgical fasteners, reducing the likelihood of misapplication and simplifying the process by minimizing the need for maintaining the applicator in a fixed position, while also reducing the number of components for lighter, more reliable, and cost-effective devices.
Implementation Method 1
a lever (1) in mechanical cooperation with a resilient element (10) for storing energy
Implementation Method 2
a release mechanism for rapidly releasing stored energy from the resilient element (10) to the drive mechanism
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 8
AI summary
There is provided a device for the delivery of surgical fasteners. The device improves the penetration of the fasteners and reduces the effort required for a surgeon to hold opposing pressure in order to deploy the fastener. The device comprises a lever in mechanical cooperation with a resilient element for storing energy; a drive mechanism which cooperates with at least one surgical fastener; and a release mechanism for rapidly releasing stored energy from the resilient element to the drive mechanism. In certain embodiments, at least partial depression of the lever stores energy in the resilient element while release of the lever from the at least partial depressed position does not release the stored energy from the resilient element. Additionally, the drive mechanism converts stored energy from the resilient element upon activation of the release mechanism to deliver the at least one surgical fastener.