Surgical Stapling Instruments with Pump-Assisted Medical Agent Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical staplers do not effectively leverage medical agents to promote closure, healing, and infection resistance of tissue incisions, as they lack integrated systems for dispensing these agents during the stapling and severing process.
Innovation Solution
A medical agent dispensing system integrated with surgical stapling instruments, featuring a storage reservoir, pump, and delivery tubes that dispense medical agents through agent ports in the staple cartridge or anvil, ensuring simultaneous application with stapling and severing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional surgical staplers are used for severing and stapling tissue, then the basic surgical function is achieved, but the ability to promote closure, healing, and infection resistance through medical agents is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical stapler is designed to perform multiple functions: it can sever and staple tissue while simultaneously dispensing medical agents through integrated reservoirs and delivery mechanisms. The system combines stapling functionality with medical agent application, allowing a single device to address both mechanical tissue closure and biological healing promotion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the stapling mechanism with medical agent storage and delivery systems. The reservoirs, pumps, and delivery tubes are integrated into the stapler structure, combining what were previously separate functions (stapling and medical agent application) into a unified system that operates simultaneously.
2Reliability
If conventional surgical staplers without integrated dispensing systems are used, then the device structure remains simple, but the effectiveness of medical agent application to tissue incisions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The medical agent reservoirs are positioned within or alongside the existing stapler structure, nesting the dispensing system components within the available space of the surgical instrument. This allows integration without substantially increasing external dimensions or overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components (delivery tubes, pumps, and control mechanisms) that bridge the gap between the simple stapler structure and the need for sophisticated medical agent dispensing. These intermediaries enable controlled agent delivery while maintaining a relatively compact integrated system.
3Productivity
If medical agents are applied separately after stapling, then the stapling function is achieved, but the simultaneous action that prevents complications and promotes healing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables continuous and simultaneous performance of multiple useful actions: tissue severing, stapling, and medical agent dispensing all occur together during a single surgical operation. This eliminates gaps between procedures and ensures continuous therapeutic effect on the tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The medical agents are positioned and ready for immediate dispensing before the stapling action occurs. The reservoirs are pre-filled and the delivery system is pre-configured, allowing agents to be applied at the precise moment needed, immediately following tissue severing and stapling.
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
Enhances tissue healing, reduces infection risk, and improves incision sealing by delivering medical agents directly to the treated area during the stapling and severing process, improving surgical outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a pump in communication with the storage reservoir. Also, a delivery tube may be in communication with the pump which is structured to receive a quantity of the medical agent from the storage reservoir during operation of the pump
Data Source
AI summary
A medical agent dispensing system and surgical instruments that employ the medical agent dispensing system are provided. The dispensing system may be structured for use with a surgical severing/stapling instrument structured for severing and stapling tissue. The dispensing system may include at least one storage reservoir structured for storing at least a component of a medical agent and a pump in communication with the storage reservoir; a delivery tube in communication with the pump which is structured to receive a quantity of the medical agent from the storage reservoir during operation of the pump; and, at least one agent tube in communication with the delivery tube which is structured for communication with a least one agent port formed in a staple cartridge or an anvil of the surgical instrument for dispensing the medical agent therethrough.