Surgical Sewing Instrument Thread Roller for Slippage Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical suturing instruments with smooth threads and complex roller mechanisms face difficulties in thread movement due to slippage and bacterial niches, making cleaning and sterilization challenging.
Innovation Solution
A device with a freely rotatable roller that can be clipped onto a rod-shaped suturing instrument, allowing direct finger control over the thread without additional rollers, simplifying thread movement and facilitating cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a complex roller mechanism with multiple rollers is used to move the thread, then the thread can be transported, but the device complexity increases and creates bacterial niches making cleaning and sterilization difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of thread movement by using a single roller instead of multiple rollers. The roller is simply attached to the instrument shaft and allows the thread to be moved by rotating it, eliminating the need for complex multi-roller mechanisms while maintaining the core functionality of thread transport
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the thread movement function from the complex roller mechanism by introducing a separate, simple roller component that can be independently attached and removed. This segmentation allows the roller to be easily cleaned or replaced without disassembling a complex mechanism, thereby reducing bacterial niches and simplifying sterilization
2Ease of operation
If multiple rollers are used in the thread feed structure, then thread transport is enabled, but cleaning and sterilization become extremely complex due to numerous bacterial niches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex multi-roller structure and retains only the essential single roller component. This extraction eliminates the numerous bacterial niches created by multiple rollers and their connecting structures, making cleaning and sterilization straightforward while preserving the thread transport function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the roller as a simple, easily replaceable component that can be discarded after use or easily cleaned and reused. This approach prioritizes ease of cleaning and sterilization over the need for complex, durable roller mechanisms, allowing for simple maintenance and reduced contamination risks
3Ease of manufacture
If a smooth surgical thread is used, then the thread can be guided through the instrument, but it becomes difficult to move the thread back and forth due to slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a roller as an intermediary component between the operator's finger and the smooth thread. The roller provides a textured surface that grips the smooth thread, preventing slippage while allowing easy rotation and thread movement. This intermediary solves the contradiction by mediating between the smooth thread properties and the need for controlled movement
4Ease of operation
If the surgeon's hand covered by a latex glove contacts the thread directly, then thread movement can be performed, but slippage occurs making it difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The roller serves as an intermediary that contacts the thread instead of the gloved hand. The roller's surface provides reliable grip on the smooth thread, while the operator interacts with the roller through the glove without direct hand-to-thread contact. This maintains operational ease while improving grip stability and reducing slippage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the direct mechanical contact between the gloved hand and the thread with a roller-based mechanical system. The roller translates the operator's rotational input into effective thread movement while providing consistent grip, substituting the unreliable direct hand-thread contact with a more reliable roller-thread interaction
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 simplifies thread handling, reduces bacterial niches, and enhances cleaning and sterilization by using a single roller, improving flexibility and ease of use, especially with smooth threads or gloved hands.
Implementation Method 1
a roller (50) which can rotate freely on a bearing shaft (42), wherein the peripheral surface (52) of the roller (50) is fitted with two spaced apart silicone O-rings (54, 56)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The device (10) has a holder (24) carrying a roll (50) freely swiveling at an end, where the device moves a thread of a surgical seam instrument by a finger of a handling person. The holder is detachably clipped at the instrument by a retainer (12) such that the roll lies on the thread that is movable by the handling person over the roll. The roll is removably attached to the holder. A set of recesses (40) is present in two retaining arms (34, 36) of the holder, where laterally protruding ends (46) of a bearing shaft (42) are clipped in the recesses and the device is made of plastic. An independent claim is also included for a surgical seam instrument comprising a rod-shaped body.