Surgical Sheath Integrating Camera and Drill Guide
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical systems require separate inflow sheaths for endoscopic cameras and other surgical tools, leading to difficulties in approximating drill or suture locations, which can result in errors during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A surgical sheath system that integrates a hollow shaft with a head featuring mounting features for both an endoscopic camera and a drill guide, allowing for the use of a single sheath with multiple surgical devices, including drills and anchor positioners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate inflow sheaths are used for endoscopic cameras and other surgical tools, then each device can be optimized for its specific function, but the surgical system complexity increases and location approximation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate sheaths into a single integrated sheath that can accommodate both endoscopic cameras and other surgical tools. The sheath includes a hollow shaft with a head portion that has multiple mounting features, allowing different devices to be mounted on the same sheath structure, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining functional optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath is designed as a universal platform with multiple mounting features that can accommodate various surgical devices including endoscopic cameras, drills, and suture tools. This multi-functional design allows a single sheath to perform the roles previously requiring multiple separate sheaths, reducing the number of components needed
2Reliability
If separate inflow sheaths are used for endoscopic cameras and other surgical tools, then each device has dedicated access, but the difficulty in approximating drill or suture locations increases
Solution Approach 1:
By mounting the endoscopic camera and surgical tools on the same sheath, the system ensures they are physically co-located at the surgical site. This merging eliminates the difficulty of approximating locations between separate sheaths, as all devices naturally converge at the same anatomical point through the single sheath
3Device complexity
If a single sheath is used for multiple surgical devices, then the number of components is reduced and location precision is improved, but the device versatility may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath head portion incorporates multiple different types of mounting features including threaded openings, bayonet mounts, and other coupling mechanisms. These diverse mounting options enable the single sheath to accommodate various surgical devices with different attachment requirements, maintaining versatility while reducing component count
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting features are segmented into distinct, interchangeable components that can be independently selected and attached to the sheath. This segmentation allows the surgical team to configure the sheath with different devices as needed, providing adaptability without requiring multiple permanent sheath configurations
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical sheath system having a sheath with a hollow shaft; and a head coupled to and in fluid communication with the hollow shaft, the head having a first mounting feature for coupling a first surgical device; and a second mounting feature for coupling a second surgical device, the second surgical device being a different type of surgical device than the first surgical device.