Surgical Introducer Anchor System for Minimally Invasive Suture Fixation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intracorporeal suturing during surgery is challenging due to the difficulty in manipulating suturing instruments within small incisions and the inability to visually see the suture site, making it hard for surgeons to securely tie sutures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical system that includes an introducer with a cannula to deliver an anchor with a spine and eyelet to the periosteum tissue over the pubic bone, allowing secure fixation of a support material without the need for additional tools or incisions, using a suture that can be tied externally and directed to the intracorporeal landmark.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the surgeon uses traditional suturing instruments through a small incision, then the incision size is minimized, but the surgeon cannot see the suture site and manipulation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an introducer as an intermediary device that delivers the anchor through the incision site. The introducer includes a cannula that guides the anchor to the target location and a flange that provides external manipulation access, allowing the surgeon to control the implantation process from outside the body while maintaining a small incision.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture system is divided into separate components: the anchor (with spine and eyelet), the suture material, and the introducer. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the anchor for secure tissue fixation, the suture for flexibility, and the introducer for delivery control - while working together as an integrated system.
2Ease of manufacture
If the surgeon digitally palpates to locate landmarks, then visual identification is avoided, but precise suture placement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the tactile mechanical system of digital palpation with a visual and mechanical guidance system. The introducer with its cannula and flange provides a defined mechanical pathway that can be aligned with anatomical landmarks, and the external flange allows visual confirmation of device position and orientation during insertion.
3Reliability
If the surgeon ties sutures inside the patient, then the suture can be secured at the intracorporeal site, but the surgeon is unable to see the tying process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by delivering the anchor through the incision and then passing the suture through the anchor's eyelet to exit externally. This allows the suture tying process to occur outside the body where it can be visually monitored, while the anchor remains secured inside the tissue. The inversion of the delivery and securing sequence enables both reliable fixation and visible manipulation.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool includes a brace and a hook. The brace includes two posts extending from a base portion. The two posts include a first post that is spaced a distance apart from a second post, with the first post disposed in a first plane and the second post disposed in a second plane that is not the same as the first plane. A side of the base portion opposite from the first post and opposite from the second post includes a recess formed in the base portion. The hook is connected to a handle. The hook has a first section attached to the handle, a second section that is curved to have a J-hook curvature configured for accessing an obturator foramen of the patient, and a third section including a tip. The tip of the hook is removably insertable into the recess formed in the base portion.