Surgical Brace Device for Stapled Tissue Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical stapling technology fails to reliably protect stapled tissue from long-term viability issues due to technical limitations and the damaging effects of organ motion, leading to staple line failures that can cause morbidity and mortality.
Innovation Solution
A surgical brace device is deployed across the line of surgically stapled tissue, creating a redundant line of joined tissue or providing an energy-absorbing barrier to mitigate the impact of dynamic tensile stress loads from organ motion, thereby reducing the risk of staple line failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If surgical staplers are used to join tissue, then procedural efficiency is improved and procedure time is reduced, but the staple line becomes vulnerable to failure from organ motion and technical limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical brace is deployed immediately after stapling to provide preemptive protection to the staple line. The brace creates a redundant barrier before organ motion can cause damage, addressing the vulnerability of stapled tissue to dynamic loads during physiological movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace device acts as a cushioning element that absorbs and distributes dynamic tensile stress loads from organ motion. By placing this protective barrier beforehand, the device mitigates the harmful effects of physiological movement on the staple line, preventing failure rather than responding to it after occurrence.
2Reliability
If redundant tissue joining is created to protect against staple line failure, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is divided into two distinct components: the surgical stapler that creates the initial staple line, and the separate surgical brace that provides redundant protection. This segmentation allows each device to be optimized for its specific function while working together to achieve reliable tissue joining.
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical brace serves as an intermediary protective element between the staple line and the damaging effects of organ motion. Rather than modifying the stapler itself, the brace mediates the interaction between the vulnerable staple line and dynamic physiological loads, providing protection without complicating the stapling mechanism.
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 surgical brace device effectively reduces the probability of staple line failure by creating a redundant tissue seal and absorbing energy from physiological organ motion, enhancing the long-term integrity and viability of the stapled tissue.
Implementation Method 1
The pair of splint members is dimensioned to span the width of the line of stapled tissue and a predetermined portion of tissue of the organ adjacent thereto
Implementation Method 2
the two opposing splint members may be configured to apply a compression of predetermined magnitude to a portion of tissue of the organ adjacent to the line of stapled tissue
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical brace device for use in a surgical procedure including surgical stapling operations on bodily organ to protect the stapled tissue against damaging effects of physiological motion of the organ is disclosed herein. The surgical brace device comprises a pair of splint members of a predetermined rigidity profile, configured to be disposed on either side of the stapled tissue and dimensioned to span at least a portion of the width thereof; a strut member fixedly joined with the pair of splint members at one ends thereof; and a tie member configured to traverse the tissue of the organ disposed at a predetermined distance from the plurality of strut members to interconnect the pair of splint members and anchor the surgical brace device thereto.