Tissue Anchoring Assembly with Self-Deploying Resilient Needles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing anchoring devices for electro-stimulation implants in soft tissues face challenges such as requiring significant operating space, manual skill, and bulkiness, especially during minimally invasive surgery, and often result in weak tissue attachment and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
An anchoring assembly comprising an anchor part with embedded needles and a biasing part that changes configuration from a deployed to a non-deployed state using a resilient support, allowing for self-locking engagement with tissue without external force, and a delivery system that minimizes space requirements for implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If forceps are used to flex and push the device into engagement with tissue, then the device can be anchored in tissue, but considerable operating space and manual skill are required
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed to be self-deploying through its inherent resilient properties. The base member and attaching members automatically flex and unfold when pushed against tissue, eliminating the need for external forceps to flex the device. The spring outward motion of the attaching members occurs automatically upon tissue contact, providing self-service deployment without requiring manual manipulation skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a folded delivery configuration to an unfolded deployed configuration through dynamic motion. The resilient base member and attaching members are designed to flex during insertion and then automatically spring outward upon tissue contact, creating a dynamic deployment mechanism that reduces the need for manual manipulation and operating space.
2Reliability
If forceps are used to push the device into engagement with tissue, then the device can be anchored, but considerable manual skill and operating space are required
Solution Approach 1:
The device automatically performs the tissue engagement function through its resilient design. The attaching members spring outward upon tissue contact without requiring manual manipulation, eliminating the need for operators to skillfully use forceps to push and position the device. The self-deploying mechanism handles the complex motion automatically.
3Reliability
If a slide mechanism with bristles is used for anchoring, then bristles can be ejected to engage tissue, but the assembly becomes bulkier and requires additional fluid tight measures
Solution Approach 1:
The deployment mechanism (resilient base member and attaching members) is extracted as a separate functional element that automatically deploys upon tissue contact. Unlike the slide mechanism that requires a housing and fluid tight measures, this design allows the anchoring elements to be self-contained and self-deploying, eliminating the need for bulkier housing structures and fluid sealing components.
4Ease of operation
If needles are embedded in a resilient support that springs outward, then self-locking engagement is achieved without external force, but the mechanism must be delivered in a constrained configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed with dynamic configuration capability, transitioning from a constrained folded delivery configuration to an unfolded deployed configuration. The resilient base member and attaching members are engineered to automatically flex and spring outward upon tissue contact, providing a dynamic configuration change that reduces implantation effort while managing the complexity through inherent material properties rather than complex mechanical mechanisms.
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
The solution enables easier, more efficient, and less invasive implantation with improved tissue attachment strength, reduced probability of device release, and lower manufacturing costs, suitable for single-hole laparoscopic surgery.
Implementation Method 1
The support is made of a resilient material, such as an elastic, elastomeric or flexible material
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for anchoring in tissue may include an anchor part and a biasing part. The anchor part has a support made of a resilient material and at least two needles. The needles have a stem and a tip end configured to engage tissue. A portion of the stem is embedded in the support. The needles are allowed to be positioned according to a first configuration. A biasing part is configured to position the anchor part according to a second configuration differing from the first configuration in an orientation of the needles relative to one another. The biasing part includes holding means configured to hold the anchor part in the second configuration. The support is allowed to be deformed, thereby acting as a pivot when the needles change between the first configuration and the second configuration.