Surgical Buttress Alignment for Staple Formation Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical stapling devices face challenges in endoscopic procedures due to the need for precise staple placement and reinforcement of staple lines, particularly in small incisions, where complexity in manufacture and application of surgical buttresses can hinder efficient tissue stapling.
Innovation Solution
A surgical staple cartridge assembly with a cartridge housing and a surgical buttress featuring first and second body portions, where the buttress is securely attached to the cartridge housing and anvil assembly, providing reinforcement and alignment for staples, and is optionally biodegradable or non-biodegradable, facilitating easier attachment and detachment during stapling operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical buttress is used to reinforce staple lines in endoscopic procedures, then staple formation reliability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of application increase
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical buttress is integrated with the staple cartridge to form a single unified assembly. The buttress is positioned within the cartridge housing and moves together with the cartridge during the stapling operation, eliminating the need for separate attachment steps and reducing device complexity while maintaining staple line reinforcement reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical buttress is pre-positioned within the staple cartridge before the stapling procedure. This preliminary placement ensures the buttress is already in the correct position and orientation, eliminating the need for complex intra-procedural adjustments and simplifying the overall application process
2Reliability
If surgical buttress is attached to both cartridge housing and anvil assembly, then staple line reinforcement is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to attachment and detachment complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical buttress is divided into two functional portions: a first portion attached to the cartridge housing and a second portion attached to the anvil assembly. This segmentation allows each portion to be independently secured, providing reliable staple line reinforcement while enabling simpler attachment and detachment operations compared to a fully integrated structure
Solution Approach 2:
The surgical buttress is designed as a removable component that can be extracted from the stapling apparatus after use. The detachable design allows the buttress to be easily removed from both the cartridge housing and anvil assembly, improving ease of operation for repetitive stapling procedures
3Ease of manufacture
If surgical buttress structure is simplified for easier manufacture, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but staple placement precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical buttress incorporates localized structural features such as notches at specific positions along its length. These localized features provide precise alignment references that ensure accurate staple placement, while the overall simple structure maintains ease of manufacture. The notches create defined engagement points that guide the stapling apparatus without requiring complex throughout the entire buttress structure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~2A
Figure 3~3A
AI summary
A surgical buttress for use with a surgical stapling apparatus having a first jaw in the form of an anvil assembly and a second jaw configured to selectively receive a staple cartridge assembly. The surgical buttress includes a first body portion and a second body portion. The first body portion substantially overlies a portion of a plurality of fastener slots of the staple cartridge assembly. The staple cartridge assembly is removably operably couplable to the second jaw of the surgical stapling apparatus. The second body portion extends from the first body portion and is configured and dimensioned to be removably positioned to substantially overlie a portion of a plurality of fastener pockets of the anvil assembly of the surgical stapling apparatus when the staple cartridge assembly is operably coupled to the second jaw of the surgical stapling apparatus.