Surgical Port Conductive Pathways for Leakage Current Dissipation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Surgical ports made from polymer materials like silicone rubber, while providing flexibility and durability, fail to effectively dissipate electrical energy, leading to capacitive coupling between instruments, which results in leakage currents and misdirection of electrical energy during surgical procedures.

Innovation Solution

The surgical port features a combination of electrically insulating and conductive materials, with electrically conductive pathways formed by molding conductive materials like carbon-fiber reinforced silicone rubber, allowing for separate electrical paths between instruments and the body wall, thereby reducing capacitive coupling and grounding electrical energy safely.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the surgical port is made from polymer materials like silicone rubber to provide flexibility and durability, then the port can be temporarily and elastically deformed during insertion, but the port fails to dissipate electrical energy effectively, leading to capacitive coupling between instruments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility and durabilityVSAvoidelectrical energy dissipation

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical port is constructed as a composite structure combining polymer material (for flexibility and durability) with electrically conductive material (for energy dissipation). The conductive material is integrated into the port body, forming separate conductive pathways that extend from the outer sidewall to the distal end of the port, enabling simultaneous achievement of mechanical flexibility and electrical energy dissipation to ground.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple surgical instruments extend through a single port positioned close to one another, then the port can provide a compact access point, but capacitive coupling between instruments increases, generating leakage currents that misdirect electrical energy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-instrument capabilityVSAvoidcapacitive coupling and leakage current

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical port is divided into multiple separate channels, with each channel providing an isolated pathway for a specific surgical instrument. The port body includes separate conductive pathways for each channel, ensuring that electrical energy dissipation is independent for each instrument. This segmentation prevents capacitive coupling between instruments by providing distinct electrical pathways, thereby eliminating leakage currents while maintaining multi-instrument capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If the surgical port uses purely insulating polymer material, then the port maintains electrical isolation between instruments, but electrical energy cannot be dissipated to ground, creating safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrical isolationVSAvoidelectrical energy accumulation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The surgical port incorporates electrically conductive material as an intermediary element that bridges the gap between the insulating polymer body and the ground. The conductive pathways extend from the outer sidewall through the port body to the distal end, providing a controlled path for electrical energy to dissipate to ground. This intermediary conductive material allows the port to maintain electrical isolation between instruments while simultaneously enabling safe energy dissipation to ground, eliminating safety hazards.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

This design effectively dissipates electrical energy to the body ground, reducing leakage currents and ensuring predictable electrical pathways, maintaining flexibility and durability while preventing capacitive coupling between surgical instruments.

Implementation Method 1

A first electrically conductive portion (258) extends from the first channel (246) to the outer sidewall (112), and a second electrically conductive portion (260) extends from the second channel (248) to the outer sidewall (112). The first electrically conductive portion (258) provides a first electrically conductive path between the first channel (246) and the outer sidewall (112), and the second electrically conductive portion (260) provides a second electrically conductive path between the second channel (248) and the outer sidewall (112).

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Data Source

PatentUS20230330406A1Surgical port features with electrically conductive portions, related devices, and related methods

Publication Date: 2023.10.19 INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS INC

AI summary

A method of electrically grounding a medical instrument includes inserting a medical instrument through a channel of a surgical port extending from a first end of the surgical port to a second end of the surgical port and while the medical instrument is inserted through the channel, contacting the medical instrument with an electrically conductive material portion protruding into an interior of the channel and extending through a sidewall of the surgical port. Contact of the medical instrument with the electrically conductive material portion does not extend around an entire circumference of the medical instrument.