Surgical Instrument Protective Cover with Tactile Alignment Guidance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective covers for surgical instruments, particularly staplers, do not facilitate precise and safe insertion and positioning, complicating the alignment of the mandrel with the counterpart, and risk tissue damage during the insertion process.
Innovation Solution
A protective cover with an outer sheath and a pulling device that includes a dividing line and a connecting piece, allowing symmetrical separation, and an orientation device for tactile guidance, ensuring precise alignment and minimizing tissue injury.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the surgical instrument head region has a sharp-edged shape for functional purposes, then the stapling function is improved, but the ease of insertion and positioning into the patient's body deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into two separable segments that can be pulled apart symmetrically. This segmentation allows the cover to be easily removed after positioning without requiring complex removal mechanisms, resolving the contradiction between maintaining a functional sharp-edged head design and enabling easy insertion/removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective cover acts as an intermediary element between the surgeon's hand and the sharp-edged head region. It provides a smooth, rounded interface for insertion while protecting the patient from the sharp edges, and can be easily removed once positioning is achieved, thus resolving the contradiction between functional sharp edges and ease of operation.
2Device complexity
If the protective cover is designed without orientation features, then the device complexity is reduced, but the positioning precision and alignment capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
An asymmetric orientation device is integrated into the protective cover, featuring a flat side and a rounded side. This asymmetric design provides tactile feedback to guide precise alignment of the mandrel with the counterpart during insertion, resolving the contradiction between simple cover structure and precise positioning capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation device provides tactile feedback through its asymmetric geometry (flat vs. rounded sides), enabling the surgeon to feel and adjust the alignment of the instrument during insertion. This feedback mechanism achieves precise positioning without requiring complex electronic or mechanical alignment systems.
3Ease of manufacture
If the outer sheath is made as a single piece, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the ease of removal and tissue damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The outer sheath is segmented into two separable portions connected by a tearing line. This segmentation allows the sheath to be easily torn apart and removed after insertion, resolving the contradiction between simple manufacturing (still achievable with segmented design) and ease of removal. The segmented structure enables clean separation without requiring complex release mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
A tearing line is pre-formed in the outer sheath during manufacturing, enabling easy separation into two segments. This preliminary preparation resolves the contradiction by making removal simple while maintaining manufacturing feasibility, as the tearing line can be created during the molding process without significant additional complexity.
4Device complexity
If no orientation device is provided, then the device complexity is reduced, but the positioning precision and tissue damage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric orientation device with flat and rounded sides provides tactile guidance for precise positioning, reducing the risk of incorrect insertion and tissue damage. This simple asymmetric feature achieves protection without requiring complex electronic sensors or active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The orientation device provides passive tactile feedback through its geometry, allowing the surgeon to feel the correct alignment position. This feedback mechanism prevents incorrect positioning and potential tissue damage while maintaining simple device structure without electronic components.
Data Source
AI summary
A protective cover for a surgical instrument including an outer sheath for at least partially covering a head region of the surgical instrument inserted into the protective cover along its longitudinal axis, and a pulling device which is connected to the outer sheath in a force-transmitting manner and comprises a pulling element. The outer sheath has a dividing line which divides the outer sheath into at least a first segment and a second segment, wherein the first segment and the second segment are connected to one another by a connecting piece and can be transferred from a covering position into a release position of the head region with the aid of the pulling device. The outer sheath includes an orientation device arranged in its distal apex region and centered on the longitudinal axis, which is designed as a thickening of the apex region.