Suture Passer Needle Blade with Cutouts to Reduce Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical suturing devices face issues with blade breakage or cracking due to high compression loads when making 90-degree turns during minimally invasive procedures, leading to stress and strain on the blade near the notch.
Innovation Solution
The design of a surgical suturing device blade with cutout portions proximal and distal to the notch, allowing for reduced stress and strain, and featuring non-linear edge portions with varying radii of curvature to enhance flexibility and minimize breakage, is implemented.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the blade is made straight and rigid to move in a straight line through tissue, then the needle can move linearly through tissue, but the blade is subject to high compression loads and strain when making 90-degree turns, leading to breakage or cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is designed with a curved path capability, allowing it to bend and follow a curved trajectory when making 90-degree turns through the jaw/window. This curvature adaptation reduces the compression loads and strain that would otherwise cause breakage, while still enabling effective tissue penetration through the curved motion path
2Strength
If the blade is made flexible to reduce stress and strain during turning, then the blade can bend more evenly and reduce breakage risk, but the blade may not maintain sufficient structural integrity for reliable suture passage
Solution Approach 1:
The blade features non-uniform cross-sectional geometry with varying thickness and curvature radii along its length. The proximal portion has different structural characteristics than the distal portion, allowing each section to have optimized properties for its specific function - the thicker proximal section provides flexibility and stress distribution, while the thinner distal section maintains sharpness and penetration capability
Solution Approach 2:
The blade geometry is varied along its length with changing curvature radii and cross-sectional dimensions. This gradual parameter change allows the blade to transition from a stiffer distal end for penetration to a more flexible proximal end for stress distribution, enabling both reliable suture passage and resistance to breakage
3Ease of operation
If the blade has a centered point to move in a straight line, then the needle trajectory is straight, but the blade experiences high strain concentrations near the notch when making turns, increasing breakage risk
Solution Approach 1:
The blade is designed with a curved geometry that naturally follows a curved path during insertion. This curved design distributes the strain more evenly along the blade length during 90-degree turns, eliminating the stress concentration that occurs at the notch in straight-blade designs while still enabling controlled trajectory through the curved motion
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to surgical suturing devices and methods by which suture may be passed through tissue during surgery, and, more particularly, to an improved blade of a suture passer needle. The suture passer needle includes a first side, a second side, and a blade disposed at an end of the needle. The blade has a first edge extending from the first side of the needle and a second edge extending from the second side of the needle, which converge to a tip of the blade. A notch is disposed in the blade and forms an opening in the first side of the blade. The blade also has one or more cutout portions distal and/or proximal the notch, which minimize the stress and strain placed on the blade. The suture passer needle can be incorporated into surgical suturing devices or suture passer devices to pass suture through a tissue body.