Surgical Clamp Passive Circuit for Automatic Tracker Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical navigation systems lack an automatic identification mechanism to accurately determine the location of tracking devices during spine surgeries, leading to potential human error and misalignment of surgical instruments with pre-planned anatomical sites.
Innovation Solution
A surgical clamp with a unique passive electric circuit and a complementary fiducial element featuring radiopaque spheres, allowing for automatic identification and precise tracking of anatomical sites, ensuring accurate registration and tracking of surgical instruments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual identification of tracker location is used, then the system can be operated with simple hardware, but human error occurs and misalignment with anatomical sites results
Solution Approach 1:
A passive electric circuit with predetermined impedance value is introduced as an intermediary between the tracker and the navigation system. This circuit is integrated into the clamp structure and automatically transmits identification information when the tracker is mounted, eliminating manual identification and preventing human error while adding minimal complexity to the system
Solution Approach 2:
The tracker system performs self-identification through the passive electric circuit that automatically communicates the clamp's identity and location to the navigation system without requiring surgeon intervention. The system self-registers the tracker-anatomical site association, improving reliability while maintaining operational simplicity
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple clamps are fixed simultaneously on different regions, then multiple anatomical sites can be tracked, but the system cannot automatically determine which reference array corresponds to which anatomical site
Solution Approach 1:
Each clamp is assigned a unique identification code through its passive electric circuit, segmenting the identification system into distinct, recognizable units. This allows the navigation system to differentiate between multiple clamps and maintain accurate association information for each clamp-anatomical site pair, preventing information loss while enabling multi-site tracking
Solution Approach 2:
Each clamp possesses a unique local property (specific impedance value) that identifies it and its associated anatomical site. This local quality enables the system to distinguish between multiple clamps and maintain accurate tracking information for each specific location without confusion
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 solution enables precise and accurate localization of surgical instruments, reducing human error and enhancing the accuracy of minimally invasive surgeries by automatically identifying the clamp and tracking its position, thereby improving the safety and effectiveness of navigated or robotically-assisted procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a passive electric circuit having a predetermined impedance value that can be automatically identified by the tracking device
Implementation Method 2
a fiducial complementary to the clamp and a kit of fiducial elements each provided with a different configuration of radiopaque spheres
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical clamp comprising two halves, each halve with an upper (2) and a lower portion (3), the lower portions forming two jaws (3) adapted to be in contact with a surgical site, one of the upper portions (2) being provided with a kinematic coupling mechanism (4, 5) and a passive circuit with a predetermined impedance value such that it is possible to identify different clamps because of their different impedances.