Surgical Stapling Control With Learned Tissue-Response Triggers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical stapling systems lack the ability to adaptively adjust operational parameters based on real-time tissue responses during sequential firings of staple cartridges, leading to potential tissue damage and inefficiencies due to varying tissue characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A surgical system with a control circuit that monitors tissue responses during the first firing and adjusts operational parameters for subsequent firings, using sensors to detect tissue resistance, force, and current draw, allowing for adaptive selection or modification of staple cartridges and firing settings based on learned triggers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If fixed operational parameters are used for sequential staple cartridge firings, then device complexity is reduced, but tissue damage increases due to inability to adapt to varying tissue characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit monitors tissue response parameters (force, current draw, displacement) during each firing and uses this feedback to adjust operational parameters for subsequent firings. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the system to adapt to varying tissue characteristics dynamically, minimizing tissue damage while maintaining manageable complexity through algorithmic control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static fixed parameters to dynamic adaptive parameters. The operational parameters (firing force, duration, intervals) are no longer fixed but dynamically adjusted based on real-time tissue response assessment, allowing the system to optimize performance for each specific tissue encounter.
2Manufacturing precision
If adaptive parameter adjustment is implemented based on tissue response, then surgical precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control circuitry
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit serves multiple functions: it monitors tissue response parameters, assesses tissue characteristics, determines appropriate staple cartridge selections, and adjusts operational parameters for subsequent firings. By consolidating these multiple functions into a single multi-functional control unit, the system achieves high surgical precision without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-assessment and self-adjustment of operational parameters based on real-time tissue response. The control circuit automatically determines the optimal firing parameters and staple cartridge selections without requiring external intervention or complex manual calibration, enabling high precision while keeping the control architecture relatively streamlined.
3Productivity
If real-time tissue response monitoring is performed, then procedural efficiency is improved through adaptive staple cartridge selection, but loss of time increases due to additional monitoring and assessment steps
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue response monitoring occurs continuously during the surgical procedure rather than requiring separate assessment steps. The control circuit monitors parameters (force, current, displacement) in real-time as each firing occurs, enabling immediate adaptive adjustments without interrupting the surgical workflow. This continuous monitoring approach eliminates idle time between monitoring and action, maintaining procedural efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical system for use in a surgical procedure to perform sequential firings of staple cartridges is disclosed. A control circuit is to monitor a parameter indicative of a tissue response associated with a first firing, assess the tissue response based on the parameter, and adjust an operational parameter associated with a second firing based on the tissue response during the first firing.