Surgical Tool Handle Assembly with Segmented Linkage for Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical tool handles are difficult to clean and sterilize, posing a risk of disease transmission, and they often cause tissue trauma during minimally invasive procedures due to their design and the challenge of maintaining the correct orientation of prosthetic implants.
Innovation Solution
A surgical tool handle assembly with a linkage system that allows for partial disassembly for cleaning and sterilization, featuring a housing with pivotable connections and a locking mechanism to securely attach surgical tools, facilitating angular manipulation and positioning during procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the surgical tool handle is designed as a single integrated unit, then the structural integrity and stability are improved, but the ease of cleaning and sterilization deteriorates due to crevices and recesses that are difficult to access
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly is divided into separate components: a handle body, a tool holder, and a linkage mechanism. These segments can be detached from one another, allowing each component to be individually cleaned and sterilized without difficulty, while still forming a stable integrated unit during surgical operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool holder and linkage mechanism can be extracted or removed from the handle body when not in use or when cleaning is required. This extraction eliminates the problem of inaccessible crevices within an integrated structure, as the removable parts can be thoroughly cleaned separately.
2Ease of manufacture
If the surgical tool handle is made completely disassemblable into separate components, then the ease of cleaning and sterilization is improved, but the risk of component parts separating and getting lost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tool holder and linkage components are designed to nest within or attach to the handle body through standardized interfaces. When assembled, the components fit together securely like nested dolls, ensuring they remain attached during use but can be easily separated for cleaning when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle components are combined through secure attachment mechanisms such as bayonet mounts, snap-fit connections, or threaded interfaces. These merging mechanisms ensure reliable component retention during surgical procedures while allowing intentional disassembly for sterilization purposes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the surgical tool handle uses a complex linkage mechanism to achieve greater offset from the coronal plane, then the adaptability for difficult-to-reach treatment sites is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage mechanism incorporates movable joints and pivot points that allow dynamic adjustment of the tool holder's position and angle. This dynamic capability enables the handle to adapt to various treatment site geometries and achieve greater offset from the coronal plane without requiring an overly complex fixed structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical tool handle for releasable connection to a surgical tool is described. The tool handle comprises a housing providing a linkage chamber extending from a proximal housing grip end to a distal housing tool end for receiving a tool. A tool linkage is partially housed within the linkage chamber. That way, manipulation of the tool linkage causes a locking pawl to pivot with respect to the housing from an open configuration ready to receive a tool for attachment to the housing to a closed configuration engageable with the tool supported at the distal housing tool end.