Steerable Surgical Snare With Constant-Length Loop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional surgical snare devices face challenges in capturing and removing foreign bodies within the body lumens of adult or pediatric patients due to size constraints and limited maneuverability, particularly when objects are difficult to access or have specific orientations, shapes, or locations, making it hard to quickly and efficiently retrieve them through minimally invasive techniques.
Innovation Solution
A steerable surgical snare with a deflectable distal tip and a snare loop that can move between positions while maintaining a constant length, allowing for selective manipulation and orientation to engage objects of various sizes and orientations within body lumens, facilitated by a core wire and deflection wire mechanism that enables bending up to 180 degrees or more, and a compression mechanism for secure object retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional surgical snare device is used, then the device structure is simple, but the maneuverability and ability to engage objects of various orientations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The snare device is divided into multiple segments including a catheter body, a deflectable distal tip section, and a snare loop section. The distal tip can be independently deflected from the main catheter body, allowing the snare to navigate complex anatomical paths and engage objects of various orientations while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The distal tip of the snare device is designed to be deflectable, transitioning from a fixed to a dynamic configuration. This allows the distal tip to change its orientation and position in response to anatomical variations and object locations, improving adaptability without requiring complete redesign of the entire device structure.
2Reliability
If open surgical technique is used to remove foreign bodies, then complete removal can be achieved, but the procedure is expensive, time consuming, and traumatic to the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The snare device utilizes a nested structure where the snare loop is contained within the catheter, which is inserted through the patient's existing vascular access or body lumens. This nested configuration allows the device to navigate through the body without requiring large incisions, achieving complete foreign body removal while minimizing patient trauma compared to open surgery.
Solution Approach 2:
The steerable snare device acts as an intermediary tool that can be introduced through minimally invasive access routes. It mediates between the need for complete foreign body removal and the desire to avoid traumatic open surgery, providing a middle-ground solution that achieves reliable removal with reduced patient harm.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the snare loop length changes during deflection, then the deflection capability is improved, but the capture precision and reliability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into the catheter body, deflection mechanism, and snare loop portion. The deflection capability is isolated to the distal tip section, while the snare loop maintains its structural integrity and constant length. This segmentation allows the distal tip to deflect for navigation and positioning without causing length changes in the snare loop, preserving capture precision.
Solution Approach 2:
A deflection wire or mechanism acts as an intermediary between the operator's control and the distal tip. This intermediary allows deflection to be achieved through a separate mechanism rather than by changing the snare loop length itself, maintaining the loop's dimensional stability and capture reliability while still providing the needed adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatus, assemblies, systems, and methods for inserting a snare into a body and capturing objects. A surgical snare device includes a steerable deflection portion with a steerable distal tip. An interface is linked to the steerable deflection portion to selectively manipulate the distal tip. A snare loop disposed at the distal tip can have a length that remains substantially constant as the distal tip is deflected and the snare loop moves in concert with the distal tip. A method includes extending a snare through a body lumen and to a location near an object. The snare may have a loop that changes positions while maintaining the same length. The loop may be placed around an object and then used to retrieve the object from the body lumen. The loop may be collapsed using a loop collapsing mechanism.