Surgical Stapling Device with Adjunct Material Application
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical stapling instruments lack an efficient mechanism for simultaneously stapling and severing tissue while applying adjunct materials, such as hemostatic agents, to promote tissue repair and reduce bleeding.
Innovation Solution
The surgical stapling and severing instrument incorporates a firing bar with an E-beam mechanism that includes a cutting edge and staple drivers, which drives staples through tissue while the cutting edge severs it, and features a cartridge system that deposits adjunct materials, like fibrin or thrombin, onto the tissue to enhance hemostasis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a surgical stapling instrument performs stapling and severing in separate steps, then the stapling function is reliable, but the surgical procedure time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines stapling, severing, and adjunct material application into a single integrated firing bar mechanism. The firing bar includes both staple drivers and a cutting edge, allowing simultaneous stapling and cutting in one stroke. This merging of functions directly addresses the contradiction by improving productivity without requiring multiple separate instruments or sequential operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The firing bar is designed as a multi-functional component that performs multiple surgical tasks: stapling tissue, severing tissue, and applying adjunct materials. This universal design allows a single instrument to replace what would traditionally require multiple separate tools, thereby increasing surgical efficiency while managing device complexity through functional integration.
2Productivity
If adjunct materials are applied separately after stapling, then the hemostatic effect is reliable, but the surgical time increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The firing bar is pre-loaded with adjunct materials (such as hemostatic agents or sealants) on its surface or within its structure. As the firing bar advances to perform stapling and cutting, the adjunct materials are simultaneously deposited onto the freshly cut tissue edges. This preliminary application ensures immediate hemostatic effect without requiring separate post-stapling steps, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The application of adjunct materials is merged with the stapling and severing operations. The firing bar simultaneously performs all three functions: driving staples, cutting tissue, and depositing adjunct materials. This integration eliminates the need for separate adjunct application steps, improving surgical efficiency while ensuring reliable hemostatic coverage at the critical moment of tissue separation.
3Ease of operation
If multiple instruments are used for stapling, severing, and adjunct application, then each function can be optimized, but the device complexity and ease of operation worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The firing bar is designed as a universal component that integrates stapling, severing, and adjunct material application functions. This multi-functionality allows the surgeon to perform all three operations with a single instrument, greatly simplifying the surgical workflow and improving ease of operation. The complexity of having multiple specialized instruments is replaced by the streamlined design of one integrated tool.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple previously separate instruments (stapler, cutter, and adjunct applicator) are merged into a single integrated firing bar mechanism. This consolidation reduces the number of instrument changes and manual operations required during surgery, making the procedure simpler and more efficient while managing overall system complexity through functional integration.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
A surgical instrument includes a handle portion, a shaft housing a firing bar, an end effector comprising an anvil, a lower jaw, and a stapling and severing assembly responsive to a longitudinal closing motion produced by the handle portion and the shaft. The lower jaw is configured to receive a removable cartridge. The cartridge includes a housing, a plurality of staples disposed in the housing, and a deck disposed over the plurality of staples. The deck defines apertures, with each aperture being substantially disposed over each staple. The cartridge further includes an agent. The firing bar is operable to assist with releasing the agent onto a severed line of tissue when the firing bar is advanced.