Steerable Single-Port Suction Cannula with Flexible Distal Section
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current laparoscopic handheld suction/irrigation devices are cumbersome and difficult to maneuver, especially during single-port robotic surgery, due to space limitations and singular functionality, which restricts the ability to manipulate tissue and perform efficient surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A steerable suction/irrigation device with a cannula having a rigid section and a flexible section, allowing selective bending for improved control and access to hard-to-reach areas, combined with suction and irrigation valves for efficient fluid management, and a grasping element for tissue manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If current laparoscopic handheld suction/irrigation devices are used, then suction and irrigation functions are provided, but the devices are cumbersome and difficult to maneuver due to space limitations in single-port surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The cannula is divided into a rigid proximal section and a flexible distal section, allowing the device to maintain structural integrity while enabling flexible manipulation in confined spaces. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing maneuverability through the flexible section while maintaining overall device stability through the rigid section.
Solution Approach 2:
The cannula incorporates a flexible section that can dynamically change its configuration in response to manipulation forces, allowing the device to adapt to the confined surgical space. This dynamic property enables easier maneuvering without requiring complete device redesign.
2Productivity
If current suction devices with singular functionality are used, then suction task is performed, but tissue manipulation requires removing the device and inserting a new tool, limiting surgical efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The device integrates multiple functions including suction, irrigation, and tissue manipulation capabilities within a single cannula structure. This multi-functionality eliminates the need to exchange tools during surgery, thereby improving surgical efficiency while maintaining adaptability to different surgical tasks.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functional elements (suction channel, irrigation channel, grasping element) are merged into a single integrated device. This combination allows the surgeon to perform suction, irrigation, and tissue manipulation without removing the device, directly addressing the productivity issue while preserving functional versatility.
3Ease of operation
If a rigid cannula is used, then structural stability is maintained, but access to hard-to-reach areas is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The cannula is segmented into rigid and flexible portions, where the rigid proximal section provides structural stability and the flexible distal section enables access to hard-to-reach areas. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allocating different stability requirements to different sections of the same device.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible section of the cannula acts as a flexible shell that can bend and conform to reach difficult areas while maintaining the integrity of the internal channels. This flexible shell design allows access capability improvement without compromising the overall structural stability provided by the rigid section.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple incisions are made to improve access and manipulation, then surgical flexibility is improved, but the single-port approach advantage of minimal scarring and reduced complications is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-functional cannula allows various surgical tasks (suction, irrigation, tissue manipulation) to be performed through a single port, maintaining the single-port advantage of minimal scarring while providing the versatility normally requiring multiple incisions. This resolves the contradiction by consolidating multiple functions into one access point.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible section of the cannula introduces dimensional flexibility, allowing the distal end to reach areas that would otherwise require additional incisions. This dimensional adaptability maintains surgical flexibility while preserving the single-port benefit of reduced scarring and complications.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device includes: a cannula having a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end; a housing connected to the proximal end of the cannula; and a manipulator connected to the housing. The cannula includes a rigid section adjacent to the housing and a flexible section adjacent to the distal end of the cannula, and the manipulator is connected to the flexible section in a manner that permits selective bending of the flexible section relative to the rigid section in response to user input at the manipulator. The cannula includes a channel that is configured to convey suction and/or irrigation at the distal end of the cannula.