Trigger Digit Release Guide Device for A1 Pulley Dissection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for percutaneous trigger digit release are challenging due to the difficulty in precisely guiding a needle to the A1 pulley without direct visualization, leading to variable success rates and the need for more invasive open surgery.
Innovation Solution
A surgical tool with a handle, shaft, and foot is designed to guide a needle for precise dissection of the A1 pulley. The tool includes a receiver for securing the needle and a foot with a contact surface to align with the flexor tendon sheath, allowing for safe and precise dissection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If percutaneous needle technique is used for trigger digit release, then the procedure can be performed in a clinical office without general anesthesia, but the needle tip cannot be directly observed in real time making the procedure difficult and unsafe
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (the guide device with window and scale) that mediates between the surgeon's visual system and the needle tip position. The window positioned at the needle entry point allows indirect visual observation of the needle tip's depth and position relative to anatomical landmarks, making the percutaneous technique feasible and safe without requiring direct visualization or surgical suite facilities.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional needle technique is used, then the procedure is less invasive, but the success rate is highly variable and many surgeons are not comfortable guiding the needle tip based on feel
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device provides real-time visual feedback to the surgeon during needle insertion. The window positioned at the needle entry point allows the surgeon to observe the needle tip's position and depth in real time, enabling immediate adjustments. This feedback mechanism increases procedure reliability and success rate while maintaining the less invasive percutaneous approach, making surgeons more comfortable performing the procedure.
3Reliability
If open surgery is performed to gain direct access and visual observation of the A1 pulley, then the success rate is better than 99%, but the procedure requires a surgical suite, anesthesia, and has greater expense and longer recovery time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical visual observation function from the complex open surgery procedure and concentrates it into a simple window positioned at the needle entry point. This allows the essential function of visual feedback to be obtained through a minimally invasive percutaneous approach, eliminating the need for full open surgery while maintaining sufficient reliability for the procedure.
4Ease of operation
If percutaneous trigger digit release is performed without direct visualization, then the procedure is simpler and less invasive, but the needle tip cannot be precisely guided to the A1 pulley
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new dimension of visual observation by positioning a window at the needle entry point on the skin surface. This allows the surgeon to observe the needle tip's position in a different dimension (through the window) without requiring complex imaging equipment or open surgical exposure, achieving precise guidance while maintaining procedural simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A tissue dissection apparatus for treatment of a trigger digit is provided. The apparatus may include a handle, a shaft extending distally from the handle, a receiver defined in a proximal end of the handle opposite the shaft, and a foot disposed on a distal end of the shaft opposite the handle. The receiver may include a port shaped to accommodate entry of a cutting instrument such as a needle. The foot may include a concave contact surface and an opening disposed on the concave contact surface. The concave contact surface may be shaped to approximate the contour of a tendon sheath. The apparatus may further include a channel defined from the port to the opening. The channel may be configured to axially receive the cutting instrument including a tip that is configured to dissect tissue during a surgical procedure.