Self-retaining Suture Delivery System for Knotless MIS Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures face challenges due to the lack of dexterity and sensitivity in current surgical instruments, particularly in knot-tying processes for suturing, which leads to increased procedural time and complications such as infection, bulk, slippage, and irritation.
Innovation Solution
A system for delivering self-retaining sutures to surgical sites using a suture package with a spool that secures the sutures and needles, allowing for precise deployment and manipulation by endoscopic or telesurgical instruments, eliminating the need for knot-tying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional sutures requiring knot-tying are used in MIS procedures, then wound closure can be achieved, but procedural time increases and complications such as infection, bulk, slippage, and irritation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the knot-tying step from the suture closure process by using self-retaining sutures with barbed ends that automatically anchor in tissue, thereby removing the source of complications associated with knots while maintaining effective wound closure
Solution Approach 2:
The suture system performs self-service by incorporating barbed ends that automatically engage and retain tissue without requiring external knot-tying actions, enabling the suture to secure itself in place through its own structural features
2Loss of time
If self-retaining sutures with barbed ends are used, then knot-tying is eliminated and procedural time is reduced, but the suture structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The suture is segmented into distinct functional zones: smooth central portions for easy passage through tissue and needle, and barbed terminal portions for secure retention, allowing each segment to perform its specific function optimally while keeping the overall structure relatively simple
3Manufacturing precision
If barbed sutures are deployed through a needle, then precise tissue penetration is achieved, but the barbs may become damaged or misaligned during the process
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is designed with a tapered shape that progressively expands the barbs before they engage tissue, preparing the barbs for their retention function in advance and preventing damage by gradually acclimating them to the expansion process rather than sudden engagement
4Strength
If the barbs are expanded to engage tissue, then secure retention is achieved, but the suture requires more force to deploy and manipulate
Solution Approach 1:
The barbs are designed to be dynamic rather than static, remaining compact during delivery and only expanding when force is applied in the correct direction, allowing the suture to adapt its structural properties based on the operational phase and reducing unnecessary deployment force
Data Source
Figure 1A~1H
Figure 1C~1E
Figure 1F
AI summary
A suture package comprises a suture cartridge and a suture releasably secured to the suture cartridge. The suture cartridge is adapted to be delivered to a surgical site within a patient by attachment to a suture delivery system.