Surgical Blade Shuttle Guided by Guide Wire for Precise Tissue Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical cutting devices lack precision and control for making incisions in remote and inaccessible tissue sites, such as in the urinary tract or other tubular structures, often requiring invasive procedures and not optimizing wound healing.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument with a blade shuttle mechanism guided by a guide wire, allowing for precise control over the depth, length, and path of the cut, which can be used through endoscopes for remote access to tissues, enabling accurate incisions in narrow or stenotic regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If simple cutting devices like scalpels and scissors are used, then the device complexity is low, but the manufacturing precision and control over cutting depth, length and path are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument divides the cutting function into separate controllable components: a blade element that can be independently advanced and retracted along a guide tube. This segmentation allows precise control over cutting depth and path while keeping the overall device structure manageable through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
A guide tube is introduced as an intermediary component between the blade element and the tissue. The guide tube provides a precise mechanical pathway that controls the blade's movement, enabling accurate cutting at remote sites without requiring complex positioning mechanisms
2Productivity
If automated cutting devices are used, then the productivity increases, but the ease of operation decreases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument employs dynamic control mechanisms where the blade element can be selectively advanced and retracted based on real-time surgical needs. This dynamic capability allows the surgeon to control the cutting process precisely while maintaining ease of operation through straightforward actuation
3Adaptability or versatility
If remote surgical cutting is performed, then the adaptability to inaccessible tissue sites improves, but the measurement precision for controlling depth and path becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument replaces complex electronic or optical measurement systems with a purely mechanical guidance system. The guide tube provides tactile and geometric constraints that naturally control blade depth and path, eliminating the need for sensors or complex feedback mechanisms while maintaining precision at remote sites
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument is provided for cutting tissue having a housing, a shaft extending from the housing to a distal end with an opening, and a guide tube extending from the distal end through the opening for receiving a guide wire through the shaft and housing. A movable blade shuttle having a blade is provided at the distal end. The blade shuttle's travel is guided by the guide tube when the blade shuttle and blade is extended from the distal end opening to cut tissue and retracted back through the distal end opening. The housing has a pivotal actuator member mechanically coupled to the blade shuttle to remotely control movement of the blade shuttle at the instrument's distal end. The instrument may be used for longitudinal cutting of tissue at remote sites in the body of a patient to provide incisions of precise depth and length over a controlled path of a guide wire.