Suction-Assisted Tissue Stabilizer for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac surgery techniques, such as coronary artery bypass grafting, often require large incisions and cardiopulmonary bypass, leading to trauma, risk, and complications like global myocardial ischemia and neurological injury due to the need for heart arrest and the use of artificial surfaces in the CPB circuit.
Innovation Solution
The development of suction-assisted tissue-engaging devices that allow for minimal surgical incisions to position and stabilize the heart using a detachable suction head and elongated shaft, enabling procedures without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass and reducing tissue trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cardiopulmonary bypass is used to perform coronary artery bypass grafting, then the surgeon can operate on a still heart in a bloodless field, but the patient suffers from global myocardial ischemia, neurological injury, and trauma from large incisions and artificial surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the cardiopulmonary bypass system entirely from the surgical procedure. Instead of using CPB to achieve a still heart, the invention uses a suction-based tissue stabilizer that directly stabilizes the heart tissue at the surgical site, eliminating the harmful effects of global ischemia and neurological injury associated with CPB while maintaining surgical precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary device - the suction-based tissue stabilizer - that mediates between the beating heart and the surgical field. This stabilizer provides localized stabilization without requiring global heart arrest or CPB, thereby eliminating the harmful effects while maintaining the ability to perform precise surgical anastomosis
2Adaptability or versatility
If a median sternotomy is performed to access the heart for CABG surgery, then the surgeon can access all major coronary branches, but the patient experiences significant trauma, infection risk, and prolonged recovery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the surgical approach into multiple small incisions rather than one large median sternotomy. The suction-based tissue stabilizer can be introduced through minimal incisions, allowing access to the heart and coronary branches while significantly reducing surgical trauma, infection risk, and recovery time compared to traditional sternotomy
3Manufacturing precision
If the heart is arrested during surgery to facilitate anastomosis, then meticulous suturing can be performed, but the patient risks global myocardial ischemia and extended surgery time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary stabilization of the heart tissue using the suction-based tissue stabilizer before performing the anastomosis. This preliminary action creates a stable, motionless surgical field that allows meticulous suturing without requiring heart arrest or cardioplegia, thereby eliminating the time loss associated with administering cardioplegic solution and restarting the heart while maintaining high anastomosis quality
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
This approach minimizes tissue damage, reduces surgical trauma, and allows for more precise and less invasive cardiac procedures, potentially lowering morbidity and mortality by maintaining a beating heart during surgery, thus avoiding complications associated with cardiopulmonary bypass.
Implementation Method 1
suction-assisted tissue-engaging devices that can be employed through minimal surgical incisions to engage, i.e., position, manipulate, stabilize, and/or hold tissue
Data Source
AI summary
Suction-assisted tissue-engaging devices, systems, and methods are disclosed that can be employed through minimal surgical incisions to engage tissue during a medical procedure through application of suction to the tissue through a suction member applied to the tissue. A shaft is introduced into a body cavity through a first incision, and a suction head is attached to the shaft via a second incision. The suction head is applied against the tissue by manipulation of the shaft and suction is applied to engage the tissue while the medical procedure is performed through the second incision. A system coupled to the shaft and a fixed reference point stabilizes the shaft and suction head. When the medical procedure is completed, suction is discontinued, the suction head is detached from the shaft and withdrawn from the body cavity through the second incision, and the shaft is retracted through the first incision.