Taper Point Suture Needles for Tissue Integrity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional suture needles with cutting edges cause tissue damage and tears, leading to increased bleeding, scarring, and potential disease transmission risks due to their ability to cut through gloves, whereas taper point needles are underutilized despite their potential benefits in minimizing tissue trauma and improving aesthetic outcomes.

Innovation Solution

The use of taper point or round-bodied suture needles, which spread tissue apart instead of cutting, reducing tissue damage and requiring less healing time, and are designed without axial cutting edges to minimize trauma and enhance surgical safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Force

If cutting-edge needles are used to penetrate dense tissue like skin, then the needle can effectively cut through the tissue, but it causes tissue damage and creates tears that increase bleeding and scarring

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepenetration capabilityVSAvoidtissue damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the geometric parameters of the needle point from a cutting edge configuration to a tapered round configuration. This parameter change allows the needle to penetrate dense tissue through spreading and displacement rather than cutting, thereby maintaining penetration capability while significantly reducing tissue damage, bleeding, and scarring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using a cutting edge that slices through tissue, the patent inverts the approach by using a rounded tapered point that pushes tissue apart. This inversion of the penetration mechanism transforms the harmful cutting action into a beneficial spreading action that maintains tissue integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If taper point needles are used to penetrate dense tissue, then tissue damage is reduced, but conventional wisdom suggests they require excessive force and may bend

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue traumaVSAvoidpenetration force required

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the taper angle and overall geometry parameters of the rounded needle point to achieve an optimal balance between penetration efficiency and tissue trauma minimization. The specific taper parameters allow the needle to effectively spread dense tissue without requiring excessive force that would cause needle bending.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Force

If cutting-edge needles are used, then they can penetrate tissue effectively, but they cut through gloves increasing disease transmission risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepenetration capabilityVSAvoidglove tearing and disease transmission

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the penetration mechanism from cutting to spreading. The rounded tapered point displaces glove material rather than cutting it, thereby maintaining the protective barrier of the glove while still achieving effective tissue penetration. This eliminates the harmful effect of glove tearing and associated disease transmission risks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS20240358366A1Suture methods

Publication Date: 2024.10.31 XEROPEDIX LLC

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for wound closure and suturing of skin using round bodies or taper point suture needles. Surprising results found that tapered or round bodies suture needles do not require unreasonable force to pass through skin, reduce bleeding and damage to the tissue, reduce risk of suture pull-through in skin, reduce finger sticks, and reduce the amount of transferred material in cases of finger sticks, thereby reducing the risk of disease transmission.