Surgical Staple Cartridge Adjunct for Tissue Adhesion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical staplers face issues with leaks and inflammation due to staple holes, and biologic materials used for tissue stapling are difficult to maintain and manufacture effectively, lacking natural tissue characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A staple cartridge assembly with a biocompatible adjunct material and medicant is used, which is deployed with staples to induce tissue adhesions, minimizing leaks and inflammation, and includes features like time-release mechanisms and growth factors to enhance healing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical staplers are used to close tissue openings, then tissue closure is achieved, but leaks occur through staple holes and inflammation results from tissue trauma
Solution Approach 1:
A biocompatible adjunct material is introduced as an intermediary between the staples and the tissue. This adjunct material fills the holes created by staples and promotes tissue adhesion, thereby preventing leaks and reducing inflammation while maintaining the tissue closure function
Solution Approach 2:
The solution combines multiple materials with complementary properties: staples for mechanical closure, biocompatible adjunct material for hole filling and tissue adhesion promotion, and growth factors for enhanced healing. This composite approach addresses both the closure effectiveness and the harmful effects simultaneously
2Reliability
If biologic materials are used for tissue stapling, then tissue adhesion is promoted, but the materials are difficult to maintain at desired location and lack structural support
Solution Approach 1:
The biologic material is formulated as a thin film or coating that can be applied to the adjunct material. This thin film structure provides the necessary structural support while maintaining flexibility, allowing the material to be maintained at the desired location and conform to the tissue geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The biologic material is combined with the adjunct material in a single integrated structure. The adjunct material provides structural support and location stability, while the biologic material promotes tissue adhesion. This merging allows both materials to work together synergistically while solving the location control and structural support issues
3Reliability
If biologic materials are used for tissue stapling, then tissue adhesion is promoted, but manufacturing to desired shape and thickness is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The biologic material is applied as a coating or layer on the adjunct material, allowing control of thickness as a parameter. The coating process enables precise control of material thickness and uniformity, solving the manufacturing difficulty while maintaining the tissue adhesion promotion function
Solution Approach 2:
The adjunct material serves as a template or mold that defines the desired shape and thickness. The biologic material is deposited onto this template, copying its geometry and achieving the desired shape and thickness through the manufacturing process
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 solution effectively reduces leaks and inflammation, maintains natural tissue characteristics, and promotes healing by using biocompatible materials and medicants that induce tissue adhesions and enhance tissue growth.
Implementation Method 1
The at least one medicant is effective to induce tissue adhesions adjacent to the at least one line of deployed staples
Implementation Method 2
The effective amount of at least one medicant is disposed within and releasable from the adjunct material
Data Source
AI summary
Tissue adhesions using surgical adjuncts and medicants are provided. In general, an implantable adjunct can have one or more medicants releasably retained therein that are configured to induce tissue adhesions. The adjunct can be configured to be applied to lung tissue in conjunction with surgical staples using a surgical stapler. Pleurodesis can be encouraged through delivery of the adjunct to the lung tissue.