Surgical Instrument Pivoting Coupling Modular Shaft Exchange
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments lack a modular design that allows for easy replacement and selection of disposable blade/tube assemblies within a reusable handle, complicating the process of using multiple disposable components during a single or multiple medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
The design of surgical instruments with a reusable handle and a removable shaft assembly that can be easily coupled and decoupled, featuring a breech style coupling mechanism for quick exchange of disposable or reusable shaft assemblies, allowing for different end effectors to be used with a single handle assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a modular design with removable shaft assembly is implemented, then the ease of operation for exchanging disposable components is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the breech style coupling mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into distinct modular segments: a reusable handle assembly and a disposable shaft assembly that can be independently exchanged. The shaft assembly includes an end effector at its distal end, allowing surgeons to replace only the disposable portion while retaining the expensive handle assembly. This segmentation directly enables the easy exchange of disposable components during procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
A breech style coupling mechanism serves as an intermediary interface between the handle assembly and shaft assembly. This coupling includes a coupling member with a longitudinal axis that receives the shaft assembly, featuring a capture portion that secures the shaft while allowing for quick release and reattachment. The coupling mechanism mediates the connection between permanent and disposable portions, enabling rapid exchange without complex tools or procedures.
2Productivity
If multiple disposable assemblies can be used during a single procedure, then the productivity increases by reducing procedural time, but the device complexity increases due to the modular architecture
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical instrument is divided into distinct modular segments: a reusable handle assembly and a disposable shaft assembly that can be independently exchanged. The shaft assembly includes an end effector at its distal end, allowing surgeons to replace only the disposable portion while retaining the expensive handle assembly. This segmentation directly enables the easy exchange of disposable components during procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft assembly is pre-configured with all necessary disposable components including the end effector, waveguide, and other surgical elements before sterilization and use. This preliminary preparation allows the entire shaft assembly to be replaced as a single unit during procedures, eliminating the need for complex in-office assembly or sterilization processes and enabling rapid exchange between different surgical instruments.
3Loss of time
If a breech style coupling mechanism is used for quick exchange, then the loss of time during component replacement is reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase for the coupling interface
Solution Approach 1:
A breech style coupling mechanism serves as an intermediary interface between the handle assembly and shaft assembly. This coupling includes a coupling member with a longitudinal axis that receives the shaft assembly, featuring a capture portion that secures the shaft while allowing for quick release and reattachment. The coupling mechanism mediates the connection between permanent and disposable portions, enabling rapid exchange without complex tools or procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism is designed to be self-aligning and self-locking, where the shaft assembly automatically positions itself within the coupling member during attachment. The capture portion features geometric constraints that guide the shaft into the correct orientation and secure it without requiring external alignment tools or complex adjustment procedures, thereby reducing time for component replacement while maintaining precision through design rather than manual intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument comprises a body and a shaft assembly. The body includes an energy source such as an ultrasonic transducer. The shaft assembly comprises an end effector and a transmission member such as an acoustic waveguide. The end effector may include a harmonic blade and a pivoting clamp member. One or both of the body or the shaft assembly includes a pivot feature. The pivot feature is operable to secure the shaft assembly to the body. The pivot feature may include a bar defining a pivot axis about which the shaft assembly pivots to secure the shaft assembly to the body. The pivot axis may be perpendicular to a longitudinal axis defined by the shaft assembly. The pivot feature may also include a pivoting cover configured to cover a recess in the body in which a proximal portion of the shaft assembly is received.