Tissue Guard Snap-fit Flange for Specimen Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally-invasive surgical procedures face challenges with restricted access and maneuverability, particularly when removing large tissue specimens, which often require breakdown into smaller pieces due to limited access through small entrance openings.
Innovation Solution
A tissue guard with a radially extending lip and flange configuration that securely engages with an access device, allowing for the safe passage of surgical instruments and specimen removal while resisting cuts and tears from instrumentation, and incorporating a fluid management system to direct surgical exhaust and fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a small entrance opening is used for minimally-invasive access, then patient trauma is reduced and recovery is faster, but maneuverability and visualization are restricted and large tissue specimens cannot be removed intact
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue guard is divided into multiple functional segments: a body portion for protection, a lip for sealing, and a flange for attachment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while collectively solving the contradiction between small access and large specimen removal
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue guard extends radially outward from the access device in a dimension perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, creating a barrier that projects into the body cavity. This dimensional extension allows the guard to protect against instruments entering from the small opening while still permitting removal of large specimens through the protected path
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a tissue guard is added to protect surrounding tissue and access devices, then protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue guard combines multiple protective and functional features into a single integrated component: the body provides cut resistance, the lip provides sealing and fluid management, and the flange provides attachment. This merging reduces the need for multiple separate components while maintaining comprehensive protection
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue guard is constructed from a flexible, resilient material that can deform during insertion and engagement with the access device, then return to its original shape to maintain the protective barrier. This flexibility allows the guard to adapt to the access device geometry without requiring complex rigid structures
3Ease of operation
If a resilient material is used for the tissue guard, then flexibility and engagement capability are improved, but cut and tear resistance may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue guard is made from a composite or specially formulated material that combines resilience for flexibility with high tensile strength and cut resistance. This material property combination allows the guard to both deform during engagement and resist cutting from surgical instruments during use
Data Source
AI summary
A tissue guard includes a body defining an open proximal end, an open distal end, and a lumen extending through the body between the open proximal end and the open distal end. A lip extends radially outwardly from the open proximal end of the body, the lip including a finger extending from an exterior peripheral surface thereof. The finger includes a flange at a distal end thereof adapted to operably engage an underside of a proximal ring of an access device to secure the tissue guard therein.