Surgical Suture Passer With Malleable Needle And Reusable Handle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suture passers for closed surgical procedures face challenges such as size limitations, difficulty in quickly changing suture needles, inability to reuse and sterilize the handle, complexity of operation, and high manufacturing costs, particularly when navigating through narrow cannulas and curved tissue paths.
Innovation Solution
A surgical suture passer with a hollow needle and handle featuring a clamp for easy needle exchange and sterilization, a malleable needle for curvature adjustment, and a recessed planar surface for direct suture advancement, along with a suture passageway slot and spring clip for secure suture retention, allowing for efficient and versatile suture passage through tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a hollow needle with central passage is used for suture passage, then suture can be advanced through the needle, but the needle cannot be quickly exchanged and the handle cannot be sterilized and reused
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separable components: a reusable handle and disposable needles. The handle contains a needle receiving chamber with a release mechanism that allows the needle to be detached and replaced. This segmentation enables the handle to be sterilized and reused while needles can be quickly exchanged without complex assembly procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow needle is designed to be received within the handle's needle receiving chamber, with the needle's outer surface fitting into the chamber's inner surface. This nesting arrangement allows the needle to be securely held during use and easily removed when needed, facilitating quick exchange while maintaining a compact overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a curved needle is used to navigate narrow cannulas, then suture passage through curved tissue paths is improved, but the needle cannot be easily advanced to the interior surgical site
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is designed with flexibility to adapt its curvature dynamically during insertion. The needle can be bent to match the curvature of the cannula and tissue paths, then maintained in that curved configuration during suture passage. This dynamic adaptability allows the needle to navigate complex anatomical pathways while remaining easy to advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle's physical parameters, specifically its curvature, can be changed to match different surgical requirements. The needle may be supplied in different curved configurations or can be manually bent to the required degree of curvature before insertion, allowing optimization for specific anatomical sites and surgical approaches.
3Reliability
If a complex locking mechanism is used to secure the needle in the handle, then needle retention is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically engage and disengage based on the natural insertion and removal motions of the needle. When the needle is inserted into the handle, the locking mechanism self-activates to secure it in place. When the release mechanism is actuated, the needle self-ejects from the handle. This eliminates the need for complex multi-step locking procedures while maintaining secure retention during use.
Solution Approach 2:
A release mechanism acts as an intermediary between the user and the needle retention system. This intermediary component translates a simple user action (pressing or manipulating the release mechanism) into the activation of the locking system, allowing secure needle retention during surgery while enabling quick release when needed, without requiring complex direct manipulation of the locking mechanism itself.
4Ease of manufacture
If a reusable handle design is implemented, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but sterilization and reuse capability must be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a reusable handle and disposable needles. The handle is designed as a robust, sterilizable component that can withstand repeated autoclaving and other sterilization methods. By separating the handle from the needle, the handle can be manufactured once and reused multiple times after sterilization, significantly reducing manufacturing costs compared to disposable designs, while the disposable needle maintains sterility through single-use disposal.
Data Source
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AI summary
A surgical suture passer (10) having a hollow needle (11) with an axial lumen (12) and a handle (13) having the hollow needle (11) secured and retained at its proximal end (15). The handle (13) defines a planar recessed surface (21) and the lumen (12) of the hollow needle (11) is aligned with this planar recessed surface (21) when the needle is retained by the handle (13) whereby a suture positioned on the planar surface (21) may be advanced or retracted by direct finger engagement of the suture into and out of the hollow needle lumen (12).