Tissue Guide Alignment for Curved End Effectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical stapling instruments face challenges in maintaining alignment between the cartridge and anvil assemblies during actuation, leading to potential misalignment and inefficiencies in tissue stapling procedures.
Innovation Solution
The surgical stapling instrument features a tissue guide that is moveable from a retracted to an advanced position, engaging with the anvil assembly to ensure alignment, utilizing a pusher assembly and various engagement mechanisms such as tabs, slots, springs, and snap features to secure the cartridge assembly in place, thereby maintaining alignment during stapling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a tissue guide is made movable from retracted to advanced position to engage the anvil assembly, then alignment between cartridge and anvil assemblies is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue guide is designed as a movable component that transitions from a retracted position to an advanced position to engage with the anvil assembly. This dynamic structure allows the tissue guide to maintain alignment between the cartridge and anvil assemblies during actuation while avoiding unnecessary complexity through controlled movement rather than fixed complex mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue guide is divided into distinct functional segments including a tissue guide portion, a pusher assembly, and engagement features such as tabs and slots. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, improving alignment precision while keeping the overall device complexity manageable through modular design.
2Stability of the object's composition
If engagement mechanisms such as tabs, slots, springs, and snap features are added to secure the cartridge assembly, then alignment stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple engagement functions are merged into integrated features. For example, the tissue guide includes both tissue guiding functionality and alignment engagement features (tabs and slots) as part of a single integrated structure. The pusher assembly combines pushing motion with engagement and retention functions, reducing the total number of separate components while maintaining alignment stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement mechanisms are designed to automatically secure the cartridge assembly to the anvil assembly through self-aligning features. The tabs and slots automatically engage when the tissue guide is advanced, and spring-loaded or snap-fit features automatically maintain alignment without requiring additional active control mechanisms, thereby improving stability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical stapling instrument includes an elongate body portion defining a longitudinal axis, and an end effector supported on a distal portion of the elongated body portion. The end effector includes a housing having a base portion and a jaw portion, an anvil assembly supported on the jaw portion, and a cartridge assembly releasably supported on the base portion. A tissue guide member is operably secured relative to the cartridge assembly to facilitate alignment of the cartridge assembly through a firing stroke.