Surgical Insufflation System Fluidic Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical access devices, such as trocars, face challenges in maintaining a reliable fluidic seal during minimally invasive procedures, leading to incomplete sealing, interference with instrument movement, and compromised haptic perception due to mechanical valves, which can result in loss of insufflation gas and reduced surgical precision.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a control unit with a fluid pump, supply conduit, return conduit, and pressure-controlled valve, along with a trocar featuring a fluid supply plenum, return plenum, and pressure sensing chamber, which recirculates insufflation fluid and maintains abdominal pressure, using sound attenuation elements to reduce noise and improve seal integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical valves are used in trocars to seal around surgical instruments, then sealing capability is improved, but instrument movement is interfered with and haptic perception is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mechanical valve component from the trocar system entirely. Instead of using a mechanical valve to seal around instruments, the system uses a fluidic seal created by pressurized insufflation gas flowing through an annular space between the trocar wall and the instrument shaft. This extraction of the mechanical valve eliminates the interference with instrument movement and haptic perception while maintaining sealing capability through the fluidic barrier.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical valve system with a fluid-based sealing mechanism. The fluidic seal is created by directing pressurized insufflation gas through an annular space, forming a gas barrier that seals around the surgical instrument without physical contact. This substitution of mechanical sealing with fluid sealing resolves the contradiction by eliminating mechanical interference while maintaining the sealing function.
2Reliability
If mechanical valves are used in trocars to maintain sealing, then sealing is achieved, but insufflation gas is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the mechanical valve component that causes gas leakage and replaces it with a fluidic seal mechanism. The seal is formed by pressurized insufflation gas itself flowing through an annular space, creating a gas barrier that prevents leakage without the need for mechanical valves that create leak paths. This eliminates the source of insufflation gas loss while maintaining sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles to create a fluidic seal using pressurized insufflation gas. The gas flows through an annular space between the trocar wall and instrument shaft, creating a pressurized fluid barrier that seals the interface. This pneumatic sealing mechanism prevents insufflation gas loss by using the insufflation gas itself to form the seal, rather than allowing it to escape through mechanical valve clearances.
3Loss of substance
If fluid pump and recirculation system are added to maintain pneumoperitoneum, then gas loss is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the insufflation system multi-functional by having the insufflation gas serve dual purposes: (1) creating the pneumoperitoneum in the abdominal cavity, and (2) forming the fluidic seal around surgical instruments through the annular space flow. This eliminates the need for separate recirculation systems, as the same insufflation gas performs both sealing and pressure maintenance functions, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the sealing function and the insufflation function into a single integrated system. The fluidic seal is created using the insufflation gas itself rather than a separate sealing mechanism. By combining these functions and using the same pressurized gas flow for both purposes, the system avoids adding complex recirculation equipment while preventing insufflation gas loss.
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
The system effectively maintains pneumoperitoneum, reduces noise, and enhances surgical precision by minimizing interference with instrument movement, allowing for unencumbered access and accurate sensing of anatomical structures while preventing gas loss.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid pump adapted and configured to pressurize insufflation fluid and deliver the pressurized insufflation fluid to an input of the pressure controlled valve through a supply conduit
Implementation Method 2
a pressure controlled valve adapted and configured to receive the insufflation fluid from the fluid pump and respond to a control signal by opening, thereby fluidly connecting the supply conduit and the return conduit with one another
Implementation Method 3
a fluid pump adapted and configured to circulate insufflation fluid through the system
Implementation Method 4
using sound attenuation elements to reduce noise
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A system (2700) for insufflation and recirculation of insufflation fluid in a surgical procedure. The system includes a control unit having a fluid pump (2750), a supply conduit (2783), a return fluid conduit (2785) and a pressure-controlled valve (2760). The fluid pump is adapted and configured to circulate insufflation fluid through the system. The supply conduit is in fluid communication with an output of the fluid pump and configured and adapted for delivering pressurized insufflation fluid to an output port of the control unit. The return conduit is in fluid communication with an input of the fluid pump for delivering insufflation fluid to the fluid pump and is configured and adapted for returning insufflation fluid from an input port of the control unit. The pressure-controlled valve is in fluid communication with the supply conduit and the return conduit, and is adapted and configured to receive a control signal and respond to the control signal by opening, thereby fluidly connecting the supply conduit and the return conduit with one another.