Surgical Stabilizer Arm with Planar Joint and Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical stabilizer and organ positioner instruments tend to extend too far across the open chest cavity, obstructing the surgeon's movements and visibility during procedures like coronary artery bypass grafting.
Innovation Solution
A surgical instrument with a mount body, a joint member, and an arm that can be pivoted to constrain movement within a plane, allowing for a lower profile and reduced obstruction during surgeries. The instrument includes an actuator and cable system to change the arm's state from flexible to rigid, and a working end that can attach to the heart surface using suction or contact members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical stabilizer and organ positioner instruments extend across the open chest cavity to stabilize the heart, then the heart can be stabilized for surgery, but the surgeon's movements and visibility are obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument attaches to the retractor in a first plane (dorsal surface) and positions the working end in a second plane (ventral surface), creating a multi-dimensional configuration that stabilizes the heart while clearing the surgical field. The arm extends from the retractor through the heart to the ventral surface, utilizing spatial dimensions to resolve the contradiction between stabilization and surgeon access.
2Measurement precision
If the instrument arm is made rigid to provide stable heart positioning, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the instrument cannot adapt to different heart positions and movements
Solution Approach 1:
The arm includes articulation joints that allow dynamic adjustment of the arm's configuration. These joints enable the arm to adapt its angle and position while maintaining rigid segments for stable positioning. The articulation provides versatility to accommodate different heart positions and surgical requirements while preserving positioning accuracy through locked joint mechanisms.
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
The instrument provides improved access and visibility for the surgeon by reducing the profile of the stabilizer and positioner, allowing for more precise and less invasive procedures without obstructing the surgical field.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator and cable system to change the arm's state from flexible to rigid
Implementation Method 2
a working end that can attach to the heart surface using suction or contact members
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument includes a mount body, a joint member, an arm, and a working end. The mount body has a top portion, a distal end, a proximal end and a bottom portion. The joint member is pivotally mounted at a distal end portion of the mount body, to allow positioning of a proximal portion of an arm extending distally from the joint member. The joint member is also configured to at least partially constrain movement of the proximal portion of the arm to a plane. The working end is mounted to a distal end portion of the arm. The surgical instrument can be configured as a heart stabilizer or a heart positioner. The joint member may further be configured as a slotted ball, a disk member, or a combination thereof.