Surgical Stapler End Effector Stabilizer Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical staplers damage biological tissue adjacent to the section obtained for frozen section tissue examination, making it difficult to correctly determine if cancer cells remain in the cutting margin.
Innovation Solution
An end effector for a surgical linear stapler is designed with a staple cartridge, anvil, pusher unit, driving wedge, stabilizer unit, and blade unit, where the stabilizer unit holds tissue between the staple cartridge and anvil, allowing for staple-free tissue examination by maintaining a greater distance between the cutting section and stapling lines, preventing tissue damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional stapler is used to staple and cut surgical site, then stapling and cutting are performed efficiently, but biological tissue adjacent to the section is damaged by staple
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector is divided into distinct functional units: a staple cartridge for stapling, a blade unit for cutting, and a stabilizer unit for tissue stabilization. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, enabling efficient stapling and cutting while the stabilizer unit protects adjacent tissue from damage by staples.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer unit acts as an intermediary component between the staple cartridge and the tissue. It is arranged on the staple cartridge and at least partially discharged from the staple cartridge by the driving wedge to hold tissue placed in between the staple cartridge and the anvil, thereby preventing direct contact and damage between staples and adjacent biological tissue while maintaining the stapling function.
2Measurement precision
If tissue is obtained for frozen section examination after stapling and cutting, then pathological examination can be performed, but tissue is damaged by staple making examination difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer unit is extracted as a separate functional element from the staple cartridge assembly. It can be independently positioned and discharged to create a protected zone around the tissue of interest, allowing the staple cartridge to perform stapling while the stabilizer unit extracts and protects the tissue intended for pathological examination from staple damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer unit is discharged from the staple cartridge in advance before the stapling process begins. This preliminary action creates a protective barrier that is already in position to prevent staple damage to the tissue that will subsequently be stapled and cut, ensuring that the tissue obtained for examination remains intact.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If stabilizer unit is added to prevent tissue damage, then tissue integrity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer unit is merged with the staple cartridge assembly, sharing common structural elements such as the cartridge body and discharge mechanisms. The stabilizer unit utilizes the existing driving wedge mechanism to be discharged from the staple cartridge, combining multiple functions into a unified structure that reduces overall device complexity while providing tissue protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer unit is designed with multi-functionality: it serves as both a tissue stabilization component and a protective barrier during stapling. The same structural element that stabilizes the tissue during the procedure also functions as a barrier preventing staple damage, reducing the need for separate specialized components.
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 stable and convenient tissue acquisition for pathological examination without staple damage, preventing mistakes in surgery by ensuring the tissue between the cutting section and stapling lines remains intact for analysis.
Implementation Method 1
a driving wedge which is arranged on the staple cartridge and presses the pusher unit in the first direction while being moving along a lengthwise direction of the staple cartridge
Implementation Method 2
a blade unit which includes a blade for cutting tissue stapled by the staples
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is an end effector of a surgical linear stapler which can stably and conveniently obtain tissue for pathological examination, which is not damaged by a staple, while stapling and cutting a surgical site. To this end, the present invention provides an end effector of a surgical linear stapler, which includes a staple cartridge, an anvil, a pusher unit, a driving wedge, a stabilizer unit and a blade unit, wherein the stabilizer unit is arranged on the staple cartridge while neighboring on the pusher unit and at least partially discharged from the staple cartridge by the driving wedge so as to hold tissue placed in between the staple cartridge and the anvil.