Cut-Resistant Tissue Containment for Safe Morcellation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tissue removal methods, particularly morcellation, risk spreading cancerous cells during procedures like hysterectomies and myomectomies, posing a significant threat to patient safety due to the dispersion of malignant tissue.
Innovation Solution
A containment system comprising a cut-resistant containment bag and tissue guard, designed to enclose the tissue specimen during morcellation, preventing the spread of cancerous cells while facilitating safe extraction through a body opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If morcellation is performed to reduce tissue size for removal through small incisions, then the tissue can be extracted through minimal access sites, but cancerous cells may be dispersed and seeded during the cutting process
Solution Approach 1:
A containment bag serves as an intermediary device between the morcellation blades and the surrounding surgical field. The bag encloses the tissue specimen during cutting, allowing morcellation to proceed while preventing cancerous cells from escaping into the peritoneal cavity. The bag is made of cut-resistant material to withstand the morcellation process while maintaining containment integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment bag is constructed as a flexible thin-film structure that can be inserted through a small incision, expanded to accommodate the tissue specimen, and then manipulated to facilitate morcellation. The flexible nature of the bag allows it to conform to the surgical site while providing continuous containment during the entire tissue reduction and extraction process.
2Reliability
If a containment bag is used to prevent cancer cell dispersion during morcellation, then patient safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The containment bag is constructed as a flexible thin-film structure that can be inserted through a small incision, expanded to accommodate the tissue specimen, and then manipulated to facilitate morcellation. The flexible nature of the bag allows it to conform to the surgical site while providing continuous containment during the entire tissue reduction and extraction process.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment bag is designed as a single-use disposable device that is discarded after one procedure. This eliminates the need for complex sterilization and maintenance protocols, reduces the overall system complexity, and ensures that each bag is pristine and reliable for its intended use without risk of prior contamination or degradation.
3Strength
If the containment bag is made cut-resistant to protect against blade damage, then the bag integrity is maintained during morcellation, but the material selection and manufacturing become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The containment bag is constructed from composite materials that combine high tensile strength with cut resistance. The composite structure allows the bag to withstand the mechanical stresses of morcellation while maintaining flexibility and ease of insertion. The composite material properties enable the bag to resist blade penetration without requiring excessive thickness or rigidity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for preventing the seeding of cancerous cells during morcellation of a tissue specimen inside a patient's body and removal of the tissue specimen from inside the patient through a minimally-invasive body opening to outside the patient are provided. One system includes a cut-resistant tissue guard removably insertable into a containment bag. The tissue specimen is isolated and contained within the containment bag and the guard is configured to protect the containment bag and surrounding tissue from incidental contact with sharp instrumentation used during morcellation and extraction of the tissue specimen. The guard is adjustable for easy insertion and removal and configured to securely anchor to the body opening. Protection-focused and containment-based systems for tissue removal are provided that enable minimally invasive procedures to be performed safely and efficiently.