Surgical Instrument Sensor Logging for Stapling Force Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic surgical instruments lack effective feedback mechanisms for users, leading to challenges in verifying the proper deployment and force applied during cutting and stapling operations, which can result in incomplete or improper procedures and difficulties in analyzing instrument failures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument equipped with sensors and a memory device that records the conditions of the trigger and end effector, providing user feedback and allowing for the monitoring and recording of instrument states, including the deployment and loading force of the cutting instrument.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical instruments are used without recording capabilities, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of surgical procedures is reduced due to inability to verify proper deployment and force applied
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through sensors that detect instrument conditions (trigger position, end effector state, force applied) and store this information in memory. This allows verification of proper deployment and force applied during surgical procedures, directly resolving the reliability issue while maintaining manageable complexity through targeted sensing rather than comprehensive monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces memory devices and sensors as intermediary components between the surgical instrument and the surgeon. These intermediaries capture and preserve information about instrument operation, enabling post-procedure verification without requiring complex real-time monitoring systems or additional user interaction during the surgical procedure.
2Loss of information
If sensors and memory devices are added to record instrument conditions, then the loss of information is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feedback principle is applied by implementing sensors that automatically capture instrument conditions (trigger position, end effector state, force applied) and store them in memory. This eliminates information loss about procedural parameters without requiring manual documentation or complex real-time display systems, as the information is automatically recorded and preserved for later analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a digital copy of the instrument's operational state through sensors and memory storage. Rather than modifying the physical instrument or requiring manual records, the system generates an informational replica of the surgical procedure parameters, preserving all relevant data without adding physical complexity to the surgical field.
3Ease of repair
If recording capabilities are implemented, then the ease of analyzing instrument failures is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The recording capabilities provide feedback data about instrument operation that facilitates failure analysis. Sensors capture critical parameters (trigger position, end effector state, force applied) that are stored in memory, creating an evidence trail that helps distinguish between user error and instrument malfunction without requiring complex diagnostic equipment or extensive manual investigation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically recording instrument conditions during normal operation, so that when a failure occurs, the data is already captured and preserved. This eliminates the need for post-failure instrument dissection or reconstruction of operational conditions, significantly easing the analysis process while the recording happens transparently during normal use.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument. The surgical instrument has an end effector and a trigger in communication with the end effector. The surgical instrument also has a first sensor and an externally accessible memory device in communication with the first sensor. The first sensor has an output that represents a first condition of either the trigger or the end effector. The memory device is configured to record the output of the first sensor. In various embodiments, memory device may include an output port and/or a removable storage medium.