Surgical Stapler Guide Pin Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical staplers face challenges in ensuring precise and consistent stapling and cutting of tissue, particularly in thicker or denser tissues, due to deformation of the end effector components during use, which can affect the accuracy and effectiveness of the treatment.
Innovation Solution
The surgical stapling instrument incorporates a structural guide pin and a rigidifying supporting structure in the end effector to maintain the alignment and stability of the anvil and cartridge, reducing deformation and enhancing the precision of staple formation and tissue severing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the end effector components are made more rigid to reduce deformation, then the precision of stapling and cutting is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector is segmented into multiple components including jaw members, anvil, cartridge, and support pins. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for rigidity while maintaining overall system manageability and reduced complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite structural design combining rigid materials for critical components like the anvil and cartridge with flexible materials for tissue-contacting surfaces. This composite approach provides the necessary rigidity for precision stapling and cutting while allowing flexibility for tissue compliance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the structural rigidity is increased to maintain alignment, then the stability of the end effector is improved, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector incorporates dynamic characteristics through movable jaw members that can open and close, and a deployable knife mechanism. These dynamic features allow the rigid structure to adapt during operation, maintaining alignment stability while preserving ease of use through controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
Support pins and alignment features act as intermediaries between the rigid structural components and the flexible tissue. These intermediaries maintain precise alignment and stability during stapling and cutting operations while allowing the operator to manipulate the instrument easily.
Data Source
Figure 1A
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Figure 1C
AI summary
A surgical instrument and method of manipulating tissue of a patient includes a body having a firing mechanism configured to be selectively manipulated by an operator, a shaft assembly extending distally from the body, and an end effector extending distally from the shaft assembly and configured to receive a cartridge for manipulating tissue of a patient. The end effector includes a distal end portion, a proximal end portion, a gap between the distal and proximal end portions, and a guide pin. The guide pin extends from the distal end portion to the proximal end portion and is connected thereto. Thereby, the guide pin is configured to secure the distal end portion relative to the proximal end portion and inhibit deflection of the distal end portion relative to the proximal end portion.