Combined Tissue Grasper-Suture Retriever Instrument
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical instruments face challenges in simultaneously grasping tissue and passing sutures through small surgical sites without requiring large portals, particularly in procedures like meniscal root repair, where traditional 'lasso'-type devices are cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A combined tissue grasper-suture retriever instrument with pivotally connected jaws that allow a flexible strand to pass through and secure it, enabling simultaneous tissue grasping and suture passage without needing large portals, featuring a tear drop-shaped perforation for secure suture capture and release mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional lasso-type devices are used for suture passage, then suture can be passed through tissue, but the devices are cumbersome and require large surgical portals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the tissue grasping function and suture retrieval function into a single integrated instrument. The grasper includes jaws that can simultaneously hold tissue and guide sutures through perforations, eliminating the need for separate lasso-type devices and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The grasper is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a tissue grasping tool and a suture guidance tool. The jaws incorporate perforations and capture features that enable suture passage while maintaining the grasping function, allowing one instrument to perform multiple tasks that previously required separate devices
2Reliability
If separate instruments are used for tissue grasping and suture passing, then each function can be performed, but the procedure requires multiple instruments and larger portals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the tissue grasping function and suture retrieval function into a single integrated instrument. The grasper includes jaws that can simultaneously hold tissue and guide sutures through perforations, eliminating the need for separate lasso-type devices and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument is segmented into functional components within a unified structure. The jaws are divided into upper and lower portions with specific perforations in each, allowing independent suture guidance paths while maintaining coordinated tissue grasping. This segmentation enables multiple functions within a single instrument rather than requiring multiple separate instruments
3Ease of operation
If large portals are used for instrument access, then instruments can be inserted and manipulated, but tissue damage increases and minimally invasive benefits are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The grasper features a slender, flexible shaft design that allows insertion through small surgical portals. The instrument maintains sufficient flexibility to navigate through narrow access paths while the jaws remain rigid enough to effectively grasp tissue and guide sutures, enabling minimally invasive access without compromising operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument incorporates a pivotally connected jaw mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the jaw opening. This enables the jaws to adapt to different tissue sizes and shapes while maintaining a compact profile for insertion through small portals. The dynamic adjustment capability ensures effective tissue grasping and suture guidance without requiring large access openings
Data Source
AI summary
A combined tissue grasper and suture retriever instrument and methods for surgical repairs are disclosed. An instrument allows grasping of tissue with simultaneous passage of a flexible strand from a suture passer.