Handheld Suture Delivery Device for Endoscopic Stitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic surgical procedures face challenges in efficiently stitching tissue located beneath the surface, as it can be difficult to view the stitching site without increasing the incision size or creating new incisions.
Innovation Solution
A handheld suture delivery device that uses a first elongated needle with a flexible loop member and a second elongated needle to pass and retrieve a stitch through tissue located beneath the surface tissue via a single small incision, allowing for stitching without direct visualization of the site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a single small incision is used for endoscopic surgery, then patient trauma and healing time are reduced, but it becomes difficult to view and stitch tissue located beneath the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the stitching function into separate components: a first needle for delivering the suture and a second needle for retrieving it. This segmentation allows the stitching operation to be performed through a single incision without requiring direct visualization of the deep tissue, resolving the contradiction between minimal incision and ease of stitching operation
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible loop member acts as an intermediary between the first needle and the second needle. The loop is deployed from the first needle, allows the second needle to pass through it, and then retrieves the second needle along with the suture. This intermediary mechanism enables the transfer of suture through deep tissue without requiring the surgeon to directly view or manually manipulate the stitching site
2Ease of operation
If the incision is increased in size to allow direct viewing of the stitching site, then stitching becomes easier, but patient trauma and healing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs the stitching operation autonomously without requiring direct surgeon intervention at the stitching site. The first needle delivers the suture, the loop member retrieves it, and the second needle pulls the suture through the tissue. This self-service mechanism allows the surgeon to perform the stitching procedure through a small incision without needing to directly view or manually manipulate the deep tissue, eliminating the need to increase incision size
3Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional stitching methods are used through a single incision, then patient trauma is minimized, but surgical time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suture is pre-loaded onto the first needle before the procedure begins. This preliminary preparation allows the suture to be quickly deployed through the tissue without requiring time-consuming manual manipulation during surgery, thereby minimizing patient trauma while maintaining surgical efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The loop member is designed to be flexible and dynamically deployable. It can be extended from the first needle to receive the second needle, then contracted to retrieve the second needle and suture. This dynamic behavior allows the device to adapt to the stitching requirements while maintaining a compact profile during storage and insertion, improving surgical efficiency without increasing patient trauma
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a suture delivery device for endoscopically passing a suture into biological tissue. The device can include two hypodermic needles that can be manipulated via controls on a handle of the device in order to pass a suture from one needle to the other. For example, the device can include a first needle coupled to at least one loop member that, when deployed from the first needle, provides a target through which a second needle of the device can deliver the suture. Once the second needle intersects the loop member, the user can advance a length of suture out through a distal end of the second needle. The loop member can then be retracted into the first needle, thereby grabbing and securing the suture in the process.