Telescopic Ultrasonic Waveguide for Adjustable Surgical Reach
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic surgical instruments lack the ability to adjust their effective length without altering the resonance frequency, limiting flexibility and precision in reaching surgical sites and increasing user fatigue.
Innovation Solution
The design of ultrasonic surgical instruments with a telescopic waveguide that can be selectively adjusted within the transducer assembly, allowing for variable effective lengths without changing the resonance frequency, using a half-wave or full-wave transducer configuration with adjustable coupling mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the shaft length is fixed, then the instrument structure is simple, but the surgeon cannot flexibly reach targeted sites and tissue with less translational motion
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguide is designed with telescopic capability, allowing it to dynamically adjust its length between extended and retracted positions. This enables the instrument to adapt to different surgical requirements - extending to reach distant sites and retracting for precise manipulation - while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of nested telescopic segments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the shaft length is adjustable, then the surgeon has flexibility to reach targeted site with less translational motion, but the resonance frequency may change
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic waveguide is designed with specific dimensional parameters and material properties that maintain consistent resonance frequency across different extended positions. By carefully controlling the waveguide's cross-sectional area, wall thickness, and segment dimensions, the system allows length adjustment while preserving the resonant characteristics necessary for effective ultrasonic cutting.
3Length of moving object
If the waveguide is extended to increase reach, then the surgeon can access distant surgical sites, but the precision of surgical motions may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic waveguide allows dynamic adjustment between extended and retracted states. When high precision is required, the waveguide can be retracted to a shorter effective length, reducing translational motion requirements and improving motion precision. When reach is the priority, the waveguide extends to access distant sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide is divided into telescopic segments that can extend and retract relative to each other. This segmentation allows the distal end to maintain stability and precision while the proximal segments provide the necessary reach, effectively decoupling the precision requirement from the overall length.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise adjustment of instrument length for improved surgical access and reduced user fatigue by maintaining resonance frequency consistency, enhancing surgical precision and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the transducer includes a 'Langevin stack' of piezoelectric disks for this purpose. The standing wave produced by the transducer is transmitted from the transducer to the waveguide, and propagates the length of the waveguide to the blade or other ultrasonic end-effector located at the distal end of the waveguide.
Implementation Method 2
When the ultrasonically vibrating blade is urged against tissue, such as by manipulation of a handpiece and/or by clamping tissue between the vibrating blade and a clamp arm, the mechanical vibratory energy of the blade is transmitted to the tissue, not only cutting the tissue but also generating frictional heat and causing cavitation, coaptation and coagulation of the tissue.
Implementation Method 3
the mechanical vibratory energy of the blade is transmitted to the tissue, not only cutting the tissue but also generating frictional heat
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic surgical instrument having an ultrasonic resonant frequency when operatively connected to an ultrasonic generator, the surgical instrument including an ultrasonic transducer assembly adapted for converting electrical energy into longitudinal vibrational motion at an ultrasonic frequency, the transducer assembly having an axial passageway extending proximally from a distal end of the transducer through at least a portion of a length of the transducer assembly, an ultrasonic waveguide having a proximal portion and a distal end, and an end effector at the distal end of the waveguide. The proximal portion of the waveguide is adapted to be operatively and selectively coupled within the axial passageway of the ultrasonic transducer such that the waveguide will transmit ultrasonic energy from the transducer to the end effector, and further wherein the waveguide is selectively coupleable within the transducer to provide at least two different effective lengths without altering the resonant frequency of the instrument.