Surgical End Effector Loading Device Trocar Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In minimally invasive surgical procedures, there is a challenge in successfully attaching or removing end effectors from percutaneously-inserted instruments due to the confined and remote environment, often requiring multiple staff members and risking damage to trocar seals when the instrument is passed through the trocar in the wrong direction.
Innovation Solution
A surgical end effector loading device is coupled to a trocar, combining the loading device and trocar into a single, easily manipulated unit, allowing for the selective coupling and release of end effectors through a working channel, avoiding the need to pass the instrument through the trocar in a direction that damages seals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the instrument is passed through the trocar in the wrong direction (distal to proximal), then the end effector can be exchanged outside the body, but the trocar seals are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
A loading device is introduced as an intermediary component between the trocar and the end effector. The loading device includes a retainer that couples to the end effector and a shaft that passes through the trocar working channel. This intermediary allows the end effector to be loaded and exchanged without directly passing instruments through the trocar in the wrong direction, thus protecting the seals while enabling effector exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of passing the end effector directly through the trocar from distal to proximal (the wrong direction), the invention inverts the approach by using a loading device that is passed through the trocar in the correct direction (proximal to distal), then used to deliver the end effector to the instrument inside the body. This reverses the problematic sequence of operations.
2Ease of operation
If multiple staff members are used to manipulate the instrument, trocar, and loading device simultaneously, then the end effector exchange can be performed, but the procedure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loading device and trocar are combined into an integrated assembly where the loading device shaft passes through the trocar working channel. This merging reduces the number of separate objects that must be manipulated simultaneously, as the loading device and trocar move together as a unified system during the end effector exchange procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading device is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a delivery mechanism for the end effector and as a structural component that interfaces with the trocar. The retainer mechanism provides both coupling and release functions, reducing the need for separate specialized tools and simplifying the overall procedure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the confined and remote environment inside the body is used for end effector attachment, then percutaneous access is maintained, but the manipulation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector is pre-coupled to the retainer inside the loading device before insertion through the trocar. This preliminary action allows the coupling mechanism to be prepared and positioned in advance, making the actual attachment to the percutaneous instrument easier to perform in the confined body environment, as the complex coupling components are already assembled and ready.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for delivering end effectors through surgical trocars are described herein. In one embodiment, a surgical end effector loading device is provided that includes a housing having a distal-facing first portion configured to couple with a proximal end of a surgical trocar, and an elongate second portion protruding distally from the first portion. The second portion can include a lumen formed therein and can be configured to extend into a working channel of the surgical trocar when the housing is coupled thereto. The device can also include at least one mating element coupled to the housing and configured to interface with a complementary mating element of the surgical trocar to restrict movement of the housing relative to the trocar, as well as an end effector retainer coupled to the housing and configured to selectively couple a surgical end effector to the housing.