Surgical End Effector Helical Drive Needle Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current endoscopic surgical devices lack efficient mechanisms for advancing and retracting needles into tissue while minimizing the risk of unintended contact between the needle and the physician, and they often require pre-attachment of sutures to needles, which complicates surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
The end effector includes a drive assembly with helical grooves that allow for the controlled translation of a needle assembly, a follower, and a driver, enabling both distal and proximal movement of the needle within an outer tube, along with a suture mechanism that allows for secure engagement and release within tissue, reducing the risk of needle exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a needle is advanced into tissue during endoscopic surgical procedures, then the ability to perform tissue penetration and suture insertion is improved, but the risk of unintended contact between the needle and physician increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle assembly is nested within the outer tube, allowing the needle to be advanced into tissue while remaining protected by the outer tube. The follower mechanism enables controlled advancement and retraction of the needle assembly within the confines of the outer tube, minimizing exposure and risk of unintended contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The follower acts as an intermediary mechanism between the drive assembly and the needle assembly. It translates rotational motion of the drive assembly into linear advancement and retraction of the needle assembly, providing controlled movement while maintaining safety through the outer tube barrier.
2Reliability
If a mechanism is added to retract the needle into the outer tube, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The follower serves multiple functions: it engages with the helical groove for controlled advancement, provides the retraction mechanism through its interaction with the drive assembly, and guides the needle assembly. By merging these functions into a single component, the design achieves safety without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The outer tube serves multiple purposes: it protects the needle during advancement, guides the follower mechanism, and receives the needle assembly during retraction. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, maintaining simplicity while ensuring safety.
3Ease of operation
If pre-attachment of suture to needle is required, then suture insertion is improved, but the number of preparation steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
The needle assembly is pre-configured with the suture already attached and positioned within the outer tube. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for separate suture attachment steps during the surgical procedure, saving time while ensuring proper suture insertion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture is nested within the outer tube along with the needle assembly, pre-positioned for immediate use. This nesting arrangement allows the suture to be ready for insertion without requiring separate attachment steps, reducing preparation time while maintaining insertion effectiveness.
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
This solution enables safe and efficient advancement and retraction of needles, standardizes surgical procedures, reduces the number of steps and time required for mesh fixation, and minimizes the risk of accidental needle sticks during surgical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The drive assembly is configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis and includes a first helical groove... Rotation of the drive assembly in a first direction causes distal translation of the driver with respect to the drive assembly... The follower is configured to engage the first helical groove of the drive assembly. When the follower is engaged with the first helical groove, rotation of the drive assembly in the first direction causes distal translation of the follower with respect to the drive assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an end effector for use with a surgical device is provided. The end effector includes a drive assembly, a driver, a needle assembly, and a follower. The drive assembly includes a first helical groove. Rotation of the drive assembly in a first direction causes distal translation of the driver with respect to the drive assembly. The needle assembly is disposed in mechanical cooperation with the driver. Distal translation of the driver causes a corresponding distal translation of the needle assembly. The follower is configured to engage the first helical groove of the drive assembly. When the follower is engaged with the first helical groove, rotation of the drive assembly in the first direction causes distal translation of the follower with respect to the drive assembly.