Shape Memory Suture Aperture for Single Portal Arthroscopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Arthroscopic suturing techniques are limited by the constraints of cannula placement, making it difficult to position sutures at optimal locations due to the limited angular access and the need for multiple portals, which can increase trauma and complexity in surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A percutaneous suture management system using a rigid flexible elastic material with an aperture portion that transitions between expanded and collapsed modes, allowing for precise placement and delivery of sutures through a single portal, enabling greater angular access and reducing trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple portals/cannulas are used to access optimal suture locations, then suture placement flexibility is improved, but surgical trauma and procedure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suture member is segmented into multiple functional portions: a delivery portion for passage through the cannula, a body portion for tissue engagement, and an aperture portion for suture threading. This segmentation allows the single suture member to perform multiple functions that previously required multiple separate instruments and portals.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture member is designed as a multi-functional device that can deliver sutures, engage tissue, and guide suture material through a single cannula portal. The aperture portion can be configured in different modes (first mode for delivery, second mode for suture passage) to handle different surgical requirements through the same access point.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a single portal is used for suture delivery, then surgical trauma is reduced, but suture placement flexibility and access to optimal locations deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The aperture portion of the suture member is designed to dynamically change its configuration between a first mode during delivery through the cannula and a second mode during suture passage. This dynamic transformation allows the device to adapt its geometry to different operational requirements while maintaining access through a single portal.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture member utilizes changes in physical parameters (shape, configuration, mode of operation) to achieve different functions. The aperture portion transitions between configured states to enable both delivery through the constrained cannula space and effective suture engagement at various tissue locations.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex arthroscopic techniques are used to tie sutures within the body, then suture placement precision is improved, but device complexity and procedural difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The knot-tying function is extracted from the intra-corporeal environment and performed extracorporeally. The suture member is designed to deliver the suture material to the tissue site, but the actual knot formation occurs outside the body, eliminating the need for complex in-situ manipulation devices and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture member acts as an intermediary device that bridges the gap between the external surgical environment and the internal tissue site. It delivers suture material through the cannula to the target tissue, enabling precise placement without requiring the surgeon to perform complex manipulation tasks within the constrained intra-corporeal space.
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 system allows for quick and accurate suture placement at any desired location, reducing the need for multiple portals and minimizing trauma, while simplifying surgical procedures and enabling more efficient suture path definition across various tissue types.
Implementation Method 1
A percutaneous suture management system using a rigid flexible elastic material with an aperture portion that transitions between expanded and collapsed modes
Implementation Method 2
A shape memory alloy (SMA) (also known as memory metal or smart wire) is a metal that remembers its geometry. After it is deformed, it regains its original geometry by itself during heating (one-way effect)
Data Source
AI summary
A member of a rigid flexible elastic material, the member including a body portion and an aperture portion with the member adapted for delivery through an axial longitudinal channel of a percutaneous delivery subsystem, the aperture portion including an expanded mode having a lateral dimension greater than an inner diameter of the channel when the aperture portion extends outside the channel and a collapsed mode wherein the lateral dimension is not greater than the inner diameter of the channel when the aperture portion is within the channel, the channel including a first axial opening and a second axial opening with the aperture portion transitioning from the expanded mode to the collapsed mode when inserted into the openings and the aperture transitioning from the collapsed mode to the expanded mode when exiting from the openings.