Tissue Conveyor Grasper for Gastric Volume Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical procedures for weight loss, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, are invasive and costly, posing risks and lengthy recovery times for patients, while less invasive methods like endoscopic plication are limited in depth and visibility, necessitating a minimally invasive, cost-effective solution for weight loss.
Innovation Solution
A tissue conveyor apparatus with a grasper assembly and conveyor members that create a serosa-to-serosa fold in the stomach wall, allowing for controlled tissue folding and secure adhesion using biosurgical adhesives, facilitating gastric volume reduction through a transoral approach.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure is performed, then significant weight loss is achieved, but the procedure is highly invasive with lengthy recovery and high cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical surgical procedures (RYGB, gastric banding) with an endoscopic system that uses a tissue conveyor apparatus to create folds in the stomach wall. The system uses endoscopic instruments to deliver a grasper assembly that mechanically folds tissue without requiring external surgical incisions or complex mechanical constraints like bands. This substitution of mechanical surgical systems with endoscopic mechanical folding achieves weight loss through serosa-to-serosa folds while minimizing invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary tissue conveyor apparatus that acts as a mediator between the endoscope and the stomach wall tissue. The conveyor system includes a grasper assembly with jaws that can be positioned and controlled endoscopically to fold tissue. This intermediary device enables the creation of gastric folds through controlled tissue manipulation without direct surgical intervention or external mechanical constraints, thereby reducing invasiveness while maintaining weight loss effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If endoscopic only procedures are used for plication, then invasiveness is reduced, but plication depth and visibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the endoscopic system into distinct functional components: a tissue conveyor apparatus with a grasper assembly, separate from the endoscope. The grasper assembly includes first and second jaws that can independently position and fold tissue. This segmentation allows the endoscopic system to achieve greater plication depth by using the conveyor mechanism to deliver and position folding instruments precisely at the desired location, overcoming the visibility and depth limitations of purely endoscopic plication.
3Loss of time
If less invasive procedures like gastric banding are used, then recovery is faster, but the procedure is still invasive and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential function of weight loss induction from complex surgical procedures and external mechanical constraints. By using endoscopic tissue folding, the system creates gastric volume reduction through serosa-to-serosa folds without requiring external bands or complex surgical reconstructions. This extraction of the weight loss function into a simple endoscopic folding mechanism enables faster recovery while minimizing invasiveness, as only minor endoscopic incisions are needed compared to traditional procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A tissue conveyor includes a conveyor body having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end includes a handle allowing for operator control of an end effector located at the distal end. The end effector includes a grasper assembly composed of a first jaw bar and a second jaw bar connected by a support base to define a cavity into which tissue is drawn. A first conveyor member is positioned upon the first jaw bar for movement along an internal surface of the first jaw bar and a second conveyor member is positioned upon the second jaw bar for movement along an internal surface of the second jaw bar. The method for creating a tissue fold includes positioning a tissue conveyor adjacent tissue, pushing the respective first jaw bar and the second jaw bar into the tissue in the area where a fold is desired, and pulling the first conveyor member and the second conveyor member proximally to draw the first and second conveyor members and tissue into a cavity defined by the first jaw bar and the second jaw bar to create a tissue fold.