Surgical Suture Cartridge Cage Release Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical suturing instruments lack an efficient mechanism for removing a jammed or damaged needle during a procedure, which can increase the risk of instrument damage and tissue or equipment damage, leading to costly and time-consuming corrections in fast-paced surgical environments.
Innovation Solution
The surgical suturing instrument incorporates a cartridge receiving assembly with various cage securement mechanisms, such as chamfered tab, notch, bump, and flex tab cage securements, that allow for the efficient removal of the needle by translating the cage from a closed to an opened position, providing clearance for needle removal without damaging the instrument or surrounding tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional suturing instrument is used without a needle release mechanism, then the instrument structure remains simple, but needle removal becomes difficult and risky when the needle is jammed or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge receiving assembly is divided into distinct functional components: jaws for holding the cartridge, a cage for securing the needle, and a release mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, making needle removal possible without compromising the overall instrument structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle is extracted from the cartridge through a controlled release process. The cage is first released from the cartridge, allowing the needle to be removed. This extraction mechanism enables safe needle removal while keeping the cartridge and instrument body intact.
2Reliability
If the cage is designed to securely hold the needle during suturing, then needle stability is improved, but needle removal requires excessive force that may damage the instrument or tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The release mechanism is activated in advance to open the cage before needle removal is needed. This preliminary action reduces the force required for needle removal by eliminating the cage's constraining effect beforehand, preventing instrument or tissue damage during the removal process.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to transition from a closed, secure state during suturing to an open state during needle removal. This dynamic behavior enables the cage to provide strong needle security when needed while allowing easy removal when required, without excessive force application.
3Reliability
If the cartridge receiving assembly includes multiple cage securement mechanisms (chamfered tab, notch, bump, flex tab), then needle retention reliability is improved, but the complexity of the release mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cage securement mechanisms (chamfered tab, notch, bump, flex tab) are integrated into a single cage structure that can be released through one coordinated action. This multi-functional design provides enhanced needle retention reliability while avoiding the need for multiple separate release mechanisms, thus managing complexity effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The various securement features (chamfered tab, notch, bump, flex tab) are merged into a unified cage assembly that functions as a single release unit. This combining approach maintains high needle retention reliability through multiple engagement points while simplifying the release operation to a single action, reducing overall mechanism complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical instrument includes a body, a shaft, a cartridge receiving assembly, a suture cartridge, and a cage securement. The suture cartridge is configured to be received within the cartridge receiving assembly and has a cartridge body, a needle, a drive assembly, and a cage. The cage is movably secured to the cartridge body to selectively move relative to the cartridge body from a closed position to an opened position. In the closed position, the cage is configured to contain the needle within the cartridge body. In the opened position, the cage is configured such that the needle is removable from the cartridge body. The cage securement is configured to move from a first position to a second position to inhibit movement of the cage from the closed position toward the opened position, yet release movement of the cage for selectively moving the cage to the opened position.