Natural Orifice Surgical Apparatus with Segmented Articulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Natural orifice translumenal minimally invasive surgery faces challenges due to inflexible surgical instruments and the use of two-dimensional surgical images, which increases operational difficulty and surgeon fatigue during procedures like clamping and suturing.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive surgical apparatus comprising a control box assembly, hose assembly, serpentine structure, and tip assembly, utilizing wire transmission technology for manual operation, with deformable hose and openable tip assemblies to enhance flexibility and facilitate surgical tasks, including quick-change devices for interchangeable tools and a water-air switch for improved visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the surgical instrument is held to be moved in a large range to satisfy operational requirements, then the surgeon can perform various surgical actions (clamping, suturing, knotting), but the flexibility of the distal end of the surgical instrument is reduced and the surgeon becomes prone to fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into multiple segments including a proximal end for surgeon operation, a middle section with articulation joints, and a distal end for surgical actions. This segmentation allows independent control of each segment, enabling the distal end to maintain flexibility while the proximal end provides stable operator control.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical instrument incorporates dynamic articulation joints and flexible segments that allow real-time adjustment of the instrument's configuration. This enables the instrument to adapt its shape and orientation dynamically during surgery, maintaining distal flexibility while allowing the surgeon to control the overall instrument movement.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a slender minimally invasive surgical instrument is used to perform surgical procedures through natural orifices, then surgical trauma and postoperative pain are reduced, but the instrument lacks flexibility and surgical images are two-dimensional
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument incorporates flexible segments and articulation joints that allow the slender instrument to bend and articulate while maintaining its minimally invasive profile. This flexibility enables navigation through natural orifices and access to difficult-to-reach surgical sites without requiring larger incisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces multi-dimensional control capabilities to the surgical instrument, allowing movement and articulation in multiple degrees of freedom. This enables the slender instrument to achieve complex spatial configurations and positioning within the body cavity, compensating for the limitations of two-dimensional surgical visualization.
3Volume of moving object
If the surgical instrument structure is made compact with small overall size, then the instrument can be easily inserted through natural orifices, but the control mechanisms become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument employs a nested structure where control wires, articulation joints, and functional components are integrated within each other in a compact arrangement. The control wires are routed through hollow channels in the instrument shaft, and articulation joints are nested within the instrument segments, achieving compact size while maintaining control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible control wires as intermediaries to transmit mechanical forces from the proximal control mechanisms to the distal articulation joints and functional elements. This wire-based transmission system allows compact instrument design by eliminating the need for rigid mechanical linkages throughout the instrument length.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a natural orifice translumenal minimally invasive surgical apparatus comprising a control box assembly sequentially connected with a hose assembly, a serpentine structure and a tip assembly at a middle position at a distal end of the control box assembly. Axes of the hose assembly and the serpentine structure are coincident with an axis of the tip assembly. The control box assembly is configured to position and replace a minimally invasive surgical instrument, support the surgical tool when being operated, and perform a minimally invasive surgery. The hose assembly is configured to provide passageways for the minimally invasive surgical instrument and a transmission wire and to output motions and loads. The tip assembly is configured to support the minimally invasive surgical instrument when being operated and enable the surgical instrument to have an enlarged motion space range. The apparatus has advantages including convenient operation, accurate actions and good real-time performance, achieves the basic goal of minimally invasive surgery, expands the flexibility of the movement, increases the operating space of the surgical instruments, and enables the minimally invasive surgery to be carried out in a handheld manner.