Surgical Thread Driver with Elastic Thickening for Minimal Tissue Trauma
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical devices for suturing are complex to handle and cause significant tissue traumatization due to the requirement of a large channel for needle retraction, leading to complications in knotting and ligature placement.
Innovation Solution
A surgical device with a thread driver that includes a thickening on the thread, which is carried along by the driver from a retracted to an advanced position, allowing the thread to be easily guided through tissue with minimal channel creation, and is held back by the jaw part's passage opening, facilitating easy knotting and ligature placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a needle with barb is used to carry the thread loop during retraction, then the thread can be presented for knotting, but the channel created in the tissue must be large enough for needle retraction with suspended suture loop, leading to significant tissue traumatization
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the thread carrying function from the needle structure. Instead of using a needle with barb to carry the thread loop, a separate thread driver is used to advance the thread end with thickening through the tissue. This segmentation allows the thread to be presented without requiring a large retraction channel, thus reducing tissue traumatization while maintaining ease of operation for knotting
Solution Approach 2:
A thread driver acts as an intermediary tool to advance the thread end through the tissue. The thread driver carries the thread end with thickening from the retracted position to the advanced position through the jaw opening and passage opening. This intermediary mechanism eliminates the need for needle retraction with suspended suture loop, thereby reducing the required channel size and tissue damage while still enabling thread presentation for subsequent knotting
2Reliability
If a needle is pushed through tissue and pulled back with suspended suture loop, then the thread is presented for knotting, but the handling becomes complicated and requires large channel for retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the thread carrying function from the needle and places it on a separate thread driver. The needle is no longer needed for retraction with suspended suture loop. Instead, the thread driver advances the thread end with thickening through the tissue and releases it at the desired position. This extraction simplifies the handling procedure by eliminating the complex needle retraction with loop suspension, while reliably presenting the thread for knotting
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of pushing the needle through tissue and pulling it back with the thread loop suspended (conventional approach), the invention inverts the process by advancing a thread driver with the thread end attached through the tissue and releasing it at the target position. This inverted approach using thickening on thread end rather than needle barb simplifies the mechanism and improves reliability of thread presentation while reducing handling complexity
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 device provides easy handling and minimizes tissue traumatization by allowing a small puncture channel, making it easier to present the thread for suturing and ligature placement with reduced tissue damage.
Implementation Method 1
the thickening being partially or completely elastically deformed or a combination of the above-mentioned deformation of the thickening and a partial or complete elastic deformation of a material partially or completely delimiting the through-opening in the jaw part occurring
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a surgical device comprising an instrument (1) having a shaft part (3) and a jaw part (4) disposed at a distal end of the shaft part (3) and having a jaw opening (5), a thread carrier (8) guided by the shaft part (3) and that can be displaced from a withdrawn position in which it uncovers the jaw opening (5) into an extended position in which it crosses the jaw opening (5), and extending with a distal end through a penetration opening (6) of the jaw part (4) distal to the jaw opening (5), and a thread (9) that can be guided by means of the thread carrier (8) through a human or animal tissue (12) in which a stitched seam is to be made, or about a human or animal tissue (12) about which a ligature is to be placed. An increased bulge (11) is disposed on the thread at the end, and is carried by the thread carrier (8) when the thread carrier (8) is displaced from the withdrawn position to the extended position thereof, wherein the bulge (11) is pressed through the penetration opening (6) of the jaw part (4) by at least partially elastically deforming the bulge (11) and/or a material (15) at least partially adjacent to the penetration opening (6) in the jaw part.