Closed-Loop Surgical System Fluid Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical systems for endoscopy and arthroscopy lack closed-loop control, requiring manual adjustments by surgeons to maintain fluid inflow and outflow based on changing surgical conditions, which distracts from the surgical procedure and can lead to unwanted joint pressure and extravasation.
Innovation Solution
A closed-loop surgical system with intelligent communication between fluid and device control subsystems, using empirically correlated motor speed and load measurements to automatically adjust fluid flow, maintaining preselected pressure and responding to changes in the resection device's load or current changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of fluid flow and suction pressure is used, then the surgeon can respond to changing surgical conditions, but the surgeon is distracted from the surgical procedure and must continuously monitor and adjust parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically monitors surgical conditions through motor load sensing and self-adjusts fluid flow and suction pressure parameters without requiring surgeon intervention. The control system serves itself by detecting changes in debris generation and autonomously optimizing fluid management parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements closed-loop feedback by continuously monitoring motor load changes during tissue resection and using this information to automatically adjust fluid flow and suction pressure. The feedback mechanism detects when debris generation increases and responds by optimizing fluid dynamics parameters in real-time.
2Reliability
If manual monitoring and adjustment of fluid flow is required, then the surgeon can maintain joint pressure, but the risk of joint distension and extravasation remains due to delayed response to changing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The closed-loop system continuously monitors surgical conditions and provides real-time feedback to automatically adjust fluid flow and suction pressure, ensuring joint pressure remains within safe limits and preventing harmful effects like joint distension and extravasation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system proactively prevents harmful effects by detecting early signs of changing surgical conditions through motor load sensing and preemptively adjusting fluid dynamics parameters before joint distension or extravasation can occur.
3Productivity
If the surgeon focuses on the surgical procedure, then surgical quality improves, but fluid management parameters may drift from optimal values due to lack of continuous adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The control system autonomously monitors surgical conditions and self-adjusts fluid management parameters, allowing the surgeon to concentrate on the surgical procedure while the system independently optimizes fluid flow and suction pressure in response to changing conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical adjustment with automated electronic control, using motor load sensing and electronic feedback loops to dynamically optimize fluid dynamics parameters without requiring physical intervention from the surgeon.
4Device complexity
If conventional open-loop fluid flow control is used, then system simplicity is maintained, but automatic coordination between inflow and outflow is lost requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the control of fluid inflow and outflow into a unified closed-loop system that automatically coordinates both parameters based on real-time surgical conditions, eliminating the need for separate manual control mechanisms while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Featured is a closed loop surgical system including one or more control units that are configured to form a fluid control subsystem for fluid control and a device control subsystem for controlling a surgical device. The two control subsystems in combination provide an automatic self-managed closed loop system for the control of fluid into and out of the surgical site by means of intelligent communication and for maintaining a preselected pressure desired by the surgeon. In particular embodiments, this is accomplished by utilizing empirically correlated motor speed and load measurements, based on supplied current, from the surgical resection device when using its specific resection capability. For example, automatically adjusting fluid flow responsive to changes in loading of a surgical device or automatically sensing a load change for the surgical device during a surgical procedure and automatically changing (increasing or decreasing) fluid flow responsive to the load change.