Striker-Driven Power Assist for Surgical Fastener Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high force required to deploy surgical fasteners, especially with larger fasteners and tighter fabrics, poses a challenge in surgical procedures, necessitating a power assist device to reduce the manual effort.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument incorporating a driveshaft that is actuated by a short duration impulse transferred from a moving mass, utilizing an energy storage member and striker mechanism to deploy fasteners with enhanced tactile and audible feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual force is used to deploy surgical fasteners, then the procedure is simple, but the force required is excessive and difficult to apply
Solution Approach 1:
A driveshaft acts as an intermediary mechanical element between the operator's manual input and the fastener deployment mechanism. The driveshaft transmits and amplifies the applied force through mechanical advantage, allowing the operator to deploy fasteners with reduced direct force while maintaining control over the deployment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment system incorporates dynamic elements including a movable striker that delivers controlled impulses to the driveshaft. This dynamic mechanism allows force to be applied in controlled bursts rather than continuous static force, making the deployment process easier to operate while achieving the necessary force levels.
2Strength
If larger fasteners are used to secure prosthetic repair fabric, then the securement strength is improved, but the force required to deploy them increases
Solution Approach 1:
The striker mechanism delivers dynamic impulsive forces to the driveshaft, which then transmits these forces to deploy the fasteners. This dynamic impulse delivery system can generate the high forces needed for larger fasteners with stronger securement capability while keeping the operator's direct force input manageable through mechanical advantage.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment system uses periodic impulsive action through the striker mechanism rather than continuous force application. This allows the system to build up and deliver force in controlled cycles, enabling the deployment of larger, stronger fasteners that require higher peak forces without requiring the operator to sustain high continuous force.
3Reliability
If tighter prosthetic repair fabric is used to improve repair quality, then the repair integrity is improved, but the force required to deploy fasteners through the fabric increases
Solution Approach 1:
The striker-driven driveshaft system delivers dynamic impulsive forces that can effectively penetrate tighter prosthetic fabrics. The sudden impulse from the striker creates peak forces that exceed the fabric's resistance temporarily, allowing penetration without requiring the operator to apply high continuous force, thus maintaining repair integrity while reducing operational difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The periodic impulsive action of the striker mechanism allows the system to overcome the high resistance of tight fabrics through repeated force cycles. Each impulse delivers sufficient peak force to penetrate the fabric, and the periodic nature of the action allows the operator to maintain control while achieving reliable fastener deployment through the tight material.
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 solution provides improved prosthetic fabric penetration with reduced manual force input and enhanced user feedback, facilitating efficient fastener deployment.
Implementation Method 1
transferring momentum from the mass to the drive shaft to deploy a surgical fastener
Implementation Method 2
striking the impact surface with a moving mass
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument including a power assist device, and its method of use for deploying surgical fasteners, is disclosed. The surgical instrument may include a handle, an elongated shaft extending from the handle, and a surgical fastener deployment system including a driveshaft. The driveshaft is actuatable between at least a first proximal position and a second distal position. A striker is movable relative to the driveshaft and an impact surface is associated with the driveshaft. The impact surface is constructed and arranged to be struck by the striker member to displace the driveshaft to the second distal position and deploy the surgical fastener.