Laparoscopic Suture Closure Device with Integrated Needle Slot

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional laparoscopic port site closure devices are prone to suture cutting, require additional instruments for knot tying, and can lead to infection due to suture exposure, with inconvenient procedures and increased operation time.

Innovation Solution

A laparoscopic port site closure device featuring a detachable cartridge with wings for secure suture storage and a needle with a suture slot for easy suture retrieval, allowing for speedy closure without tying and reducing infection risk, with a replaceable cartridge for economical reuse.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional forceps are used to pull out the surgical suture, then the suture can be removed from the patient's body, but the suture may be easily cut by the pressure of the forceps

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesuture removalVSAvoidsuture integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a needle as an intermediary tool between the forceps and the suture. The needle has a groove that guides the suture, allowing the suture to be pulled out smoothly without direct pressure from the forceps that would cause cutting. The needle acts as a mediator that protects the suture while facilitating its removal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If additional instruments such as forceps are required to pull out the suture ends for knot tying, then the knots can be tied outside the patient's body, but the procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknot tying capabilityVSAvoidinstrument requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the suture pulling function and the knot tying function into a single integrated needle structure. The needle has a groove that not only guides the suture during insertion but also facilitates pulling the suture out and forming knots outside the body. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate forceps and reduces procedural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If the surgical suture is pulled out through the trocar after stitching, then the incisions can be closed, but the suture exposure increases the risk of infection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveclosure efficiencyVSAvoidinfection risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses the needle as a protective sheath or shell that covers the suture during the entire procedure. The suture remains enclosed within the needle structure until the very end when it needs to be pulled out for knot tying. This protective covering minimizes suture exposure to the external environment, thereby reducing infection risk while maintaining closure efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Ease of operation

If the surgical suture is threaded through preformed coils or loops, then knot formation is facilitated, but the suture structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveknot formationVSAvoidsuture structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses the needle groove as an intermediary structure instead of preforming coils or loops on the suture itself. The groove in the needle provides the necessary geometry for knot formation without modifying the suture structure. This approach simplifies the suture while maintaining ease of knot formation through the guiding action of the needle groove.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3222220B1Suture thread for laparoscopic port site closing apparatus
Publication Date: 2021.10.27 KIM KI SEONG
  • EP3222220B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3222220B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2b
  • EP3222220B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Disclosed is surgical suture for a laparoscopic port site closure device. The surgical suture is configured such that a cartridge receiving surgical suture therein is provided at a fore-end of a needle guide for port site closure; the surgical suture is caught in a needle tip that is pierced through a body tissue by being guided by the needle guide; and when the needle is withdrawn, the surgical suture is pulled out along a path through which the needle was pierced into the tissue, and the surgical suture is tied outside a patient's body, thereby being capable of closing a laparoscopic port site. The surgical suture for the laparoscopic port site closure device, wherein the laparoscopic port site closure device is in a tube shape for being introduced into a port site, includes: a tubular body provided with needle guides that face each other and guide insertion of a needle; wings mounted to a lower portion of the tubular body such that the wings are opened and closed through a cam method; and an operating stick penetrating through the tubular body to operate the wings by being rotated to push and open the wings and to pull and close the wings by being rotated reversely. The laparoscopic port site closure device further includes: a replaceable cartridge provided on a lower end of the tubular body to be detachably combined with the operating stick, wherein the cartridge is provided with the wings capable of being opened by operating the operating stick, and provided with a compartment for receiving surgical suture therein, wherein the laparoscopic port site closure device is configured such that opposites ends of the surgical suture in the compartment are threaded through the wings such that the ends of the surgical suture are pulled out of a patient's body by being caught by a suture slot of a needle that is pierced into the patient's body from outside.