Spring Suture With Variable Thickness For Consistent Closure Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sutures for wound closure lack a consistent and controlled mechanism to apply the correct pre-stress for effective closure, often resulting in inadequate closure force and potential skin inversion issues.
Innovation Solution
A suture with a curved center spring having a convex outer face and a concave inner face, featuring a variable thickness that decreases laterally, configured to switch between a non-stressed and stressed state, utilizing pin or membrane hinges and surgical tape for controlled energy storage and release, ensuring consistent closure force application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If existing sutures are used for wound closure, then the closure function is achieved, but the closure force is inconsistent and insufficient, leading to potential skin inversion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and geometric parameters of the suture material by introducing a pre-stressed spring structure with variable thickness. The spring transitions from a relaxed curved state to a compressed state, dynamically changing its mechanical parameters (force, stiffness) to provide consistent closure force. The variable thickness design allows the spring to maintain optimal stress distribution throughout its deformation cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-stressed during manufacturing to a specific force level before being applied to the wound. This preliminary action ensures that when the suture is applied, the closure force is immediately available and consistent, eliminating the need for manual tensioning adjustments by the surgeon and preventing skin inversion from the outset.
2Productivity
If traditional sutures are applied, then wound closure is achieved, but the application process is time-consuming and requires manual tensioning
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded suture is designed to be self-tensing. Once applied to the wound, the pre-compressed spring automatically maintains the required closure force without requiring the surgeon to continuously adjust or tension the suture. The spring self-regulates the force application, freeing the surgeon from manual tensioning tasks and enabling faster application of additional sutures.
3Force
If higher closure force is applied to ensure effective closure, then closure effectiveness improves, but skin inversion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The spring structure provides inherent feedback control for closure force. As the wound edges come together under spring pressure, the spring compression increases and automatically reduces the applied force, preventing excessive force that would cause skin inversion. Conversely, if wound edges separate, the spring decompresses and increases force to maintain closure, creating a self-regulating system that adapts to wound healing dynamics.
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
The suture provides a consistent and controlled closure force, minimizing skin inversion and promoting rapid healing by applying pre-stress remotely to the dermal level, while being non-invasive like staples or stitches.
Implementation Method 1
an elongate resilient spring member... The spring member is movable between a non-stressed state and a stressed state. When in the non-stressed state, the inner face is concave-shaped, and when in the stressed state, the inner face is essentially flat
Data Source
AI summary
A spring suture for primary closure of surgical incisions includes a center spring hingedly connected at each end with surgical tape. In one embodiment, the tape is connected to the center spring through a tape clamp and pin hinge. In another embodiment, the tape is connected to the center spring through welding flanges attached to membrane hinges. In operation, when the spring suture is in place on a wound or incision line, the distal ends of the surgical tape relative to the center spring, in conjunction with the center spring, are adapted to produce closure forces along the incision line that are remote from the incision, enabling such forces to act through the thickness of the skin through shear force transfer and provide closure force at the dermal level of the skin that is initially applied at the epidermal level, thus overcoming the problem of skin inversion at incision line common to skin tapes of the prior art.