Surgical Suturing Device Guide Tip for Heart Valve Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical suturing devices for replacing heart valves are inefficient, leading to prolonged use of cardio-pulmonary bypass (CPB) machines, which increases the risk of inflammatory responses and other complications.
Innovation Solution
The development of a surgical suturing device with a guide tip featuring a cuff receiving area and a tissue bite area, equipped with needle guides and actuators, allows for precise and efficient placement of sutures through both the tissue and the sewing cuff of a replacement heart valve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional surgical suturing devices are used for heart valve replacement, then the surgical procedure can be completed, but the surgery time is prolonged leading to increased CPB time and higher risk of inflammatory responses and complications
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip is divided into distinct functional zones: a cuff receiving area for receiving the sewing cuff and a tissue bite area for engaging the annular tissue. This segmentation allows simultaneous access to both components during suturing, enabling faster suture placement without compromising surgical reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tip acts as an intermediary device that facilitates the suturing process by providing structured pathways (needle guides) and defined areas for both the sewing cuff and tissue. This intermediary structure streamlines the interaction between surgical instruments and target tissues, reducing surgery time while maintaining outcome reliability
2Productivity
If traditional suturing methods are used, then sutures can be placed, but the process is inefficient requiring multiple manual positioning steps and increasing CPB duration
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip is pre-configured with a cuff receiving area and tissue bite area in specific spatial relationships, along with integrated needle guides. This preliminary arrangement of components eliminates the need for repeated manual positioning during surgery, accelerating the suturing process and reducing CPB time, thereby minimizing inflammatory response risk
3Manufacturing precision
If manual needle guidance is used during suturing, then flexibility is maintained, but precision and efficiency of suture placement through both tissue and cuff are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tip incorporates localized structural features including a cuff receiving area with specific geometry for receiving the sewing cuff, a tissue bite area with defined dimensions for engaging annular tissue, and needle guides positioned at specific locations. These local quality enhancements provide precise needle pathways and component alignment, improving suture placement precision while maintaining high suturing efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical suturing device has a guide tip defining cuff receiving and tissue bite areas. The guide tip has at least one needle guide configured to guide at least one needle through the cuff receiving area and the tissue bite area. Another surgical suturing device has a guide tip defining cuff receiving and tissue bite areas. The guide tip has at least one pair of needle guides configured to guide both the needles of at least one pair of needles through the cuff receiving area and the tissue bite area. The guide tip also has at least one pair of ferrule receiving apertures. The cuff receiving area and the tissue bite area are oriented to avoid cross-over of a suture passed by the at least one pair of needles through tissue in the tissue bite area and a replacement anatomical device sewing cuff in the cuff receiving area.