Steerable Medical Instrument with Deformable Tubing for Bidirectional Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive percutaneous medical devices lack effective control over insertion direction and are limited by passive curvature, mechanical constraints, and difficulty in miniaturization, leading to suboptimal needle placement and increased complexity in procedures.
Innovation Solution
A steerable medical instrument featuring an outer and inner tube with deformable portions offset from the centroid, allowing bidirectional steering control through push and pull manipulation, which enables precise curvature adjustment and reduces torsional motion, while maintaining a channel for interventional tools and minimizing mechanical interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a curved needle is used to avoid interposed structures, then the needle can reach target lesions from suboptimal placements, but the curvature is fixed and cannot be adjusted during the procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The needle assembly transitions from a fixed curvature design to a dynamic, adjustable curvature system. The inner tube can be moved relative to the outer tube to change the curvature radius and direction of the needle, allowing real-time adaptation during the procedure while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle is divided into an outer tube and an inner tube that can move independently. This segmentation allows the inner tube to be displaced to adjust the curvature while the outer tube maintains the basic structural integrity, resolving the contradiction between adjustability and structural simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If lateral force is applied to bend the needle in deep position, then steering capability is achieved, but the force is not transmitted well due to mechanical constraints from anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the bending function from the needle itself and places it in the movable inner tube mechanism. By moving the inner tube relative to the outer tube, the desired curvature is achieved without relying on lateral forces that must be transmitted through anatomical structures, thereby improving both ease of operation and reliability of force transmission.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a transducer is used with actively variable curvature, then steering capability is improved, but the transducer must be removed after deployment making the procedure more cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The outer tube serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, contains the inner tube mechanism for curvature adjustment, and maintains a patentable channel for interventional tools throughout the procedure. This eliminates the need to remove a separate transducer component, improving procedure efficiency while maintaining steering capability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the bending stiffness between stationary hollow part and inner rod are not identical, then curvature adjustment is possible, but large mechanical interaction increases driving force requirements and risks fracture
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the stiffness parameters of the outer tube and inner tube to be more closely matched, reducing the mechanical interaction and friction between them. This allows curvature adjustment through inner tube movement while minimizing the driving force required and reducing the risk of fracture at the fixing tip, thereby improving both adaptability and mechanical robustness.
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 steerable medical instrument provides improved control over needle placement, reduces the risk of mechanical failure, and simplifies procedures by allowing precise curvature adjustment and bidirectional steering, enhancing the accuracy and safety of minimally invasive interventions.
Implementation Method 1
the inner tube is movable along the direction of the centroid at the proximal end, and the inner tube is fixed at the distal end to the outer tube. At least one of the outer- and the inner-tubes have a plurality of openings, which creates effective deformable portions with offset from the centroid so that the outer and the inner tubes can bend by moving the inner tube at the proximal end
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure of this application relates generally to medical devices and in particular to a steerable medical instrument applicable to guide interventional tools and instruments, such as percutaneous biopsy and ablations tools and endoscopes. The steerable medical instrument has an outer and an inner tube where the inner tube is movable at the proximal end and fixed at the distal end. At least one of the outer tube and inner tube has a plurality of openings, which creates deformable portions so that the outer and the inner tubes can bend by moving the inner tube at the proximal end.