Suture Passing Device Jaw Assembly for Arthroscopic Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current suture passing devices face challenges in arthroscopic procedures, particularly when suturing the labrum, due to limited visualization and the difficulty in accurately passing and retrieving suture through severely damaged tissue with a small needle profile.
Innovation Solution
A suture passing device with a handle and shaft featuring a jaw assembly that includes movable jaw members with a push-pull suture capturing mechanism, allowing for easy passage and retrieval of suture, and a sharp distal tip with a lumen, which diverges and converges to securely capture and push/pull the suture, minimizing jaw movement within the shaft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a small needle profile is used to penetrate tissue, then the device can access difficult anatomical sites with improved visualization, but the suture loop becomes minuscule and difficult to grab and retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw assembly is nested within the shaft of the needle, allowing the mechanism to be housed within a compact profile. The jaws can extend from the needle tip to engage suture while remaining retractable into the shaft, providing both small profile during penetration and functional capability during suture manipulation
Solution Approach 2:
The jaw assembly is designed to be dynamically extendable and retractable. The jaws can be extended from the needle tip to engage and manipulate suture, then retracted into the shaft for retrieval. This dynamic configuration allows the device to transition between a compact penetration state and an expanded operational state
2Strength
If the jaw assembly is made thick to provide structural stability, then the device maintains rigidity, but the overall profile increases and access to working site is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The jaw assembly is nested within the shaft lumen, allowing it to be housed within a compact overall profile. The jaws can extend from the needle tip when needed but remain contained within the shaft during penetration, maintaining a small device profile while providing structural stability when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The jaw assembly is segmented into multiple movable jaws that can independently position and engage suture. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain rigidity through distributed support while keeping the overall profile compact when retracted into the shaft
3Ease of operation
If a complex suture capturing mechanism is implemented, then suture passage and retrieval is facilitated, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suture capturing mechanism uses simple movable jaws that can be actuated to open and close. This dynamic, mechanically simple design facilitates suture passage and retrieval while avoiding complex mechanisms that would increase manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 2:
The jaw assembly is designed to self-align and self-capture suture through its movable jaw structure. The natural movement of the jaws when extended and retracted provides the capturing function without requiring additional complex actuation mechanisms, reducing manufacturing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A suture passing device includes a jaw assembly that is moved to an open configuration after exiting a hollow needle distal tip and moved to a closed configuration when retracted into the needle tip. The jaw assembly may include a pair of jaw members biased to a default diverging configuration. A suture capturing mechanism formed on the jaw members securely captures suture to both push and pull the captured when the jaw assembly is retracted into the hollow distal tip. The device may also include a second suture capturing mechanism that loosely captures suture and enables the captured suture to slide.