Trocar Assembly Cleaning Element for Laparoscopic Scope Debris Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laparoscopic procedures face interruptions due to obstructed laparoscope lenses caused by condensation and debris, which requires removal from the sterile environment for cleaning, leading to prolonged anesthesia and sterility risks.
Innovation Solution
A trocar assembly with an integrated scope-cleaning structure featuring a rotatable wheel and multiple cleaning surfaces within a housing, allowing for debris removal without extracting the scope from the sterile environment, maintaining sterility and reducing interruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the laparoscope lens is removed from the sterile environment for cleaning, then the lens can be cleaned effectively, but the surgical time is prolonged and sterility is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
A cleaning element with cleaning surfaces is introduced as an intermediary component within the sterile field. The cleaning element can be moved into contact with the lens to remove debris, allowing effective cleaning without removing the lens from the sterile environment, thus avoiding surgical time loss and sterility compromise
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system is segmented into a movable cleaning element with multiple cleaning surfaces that can be positioned as needed. The cleaning element includes first and second cleaning surfaces that can contact different portions of the lens, providing comprehensive cleaning capability while remaining within the sterile field
2Ease of manufacture
If the laparoscope lens is removed from the sterile environment for cleaning, then the lens can be cleaned effectively, but the sterility is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning element acts as a sterile intermediary that can be introduced into the sterile field through the trocar assembly. It provides a controlled interface for cleaning the lens while maintaining the sterility barrier, allowing debris removal without compromising the sterile environment or reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning element is prepared and positioned within the sterile field before cleaning is needed. The trocar assembly maintains a sterile environment, and the cleaning element is ready to be moved into contact with the lens when debris accumulation occurs, ensuring sterility is maintained throughout the procedure
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple cleaning surfaces are included in the cleaning element, then comprehensive lens cleaning is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning element is designed as a multi-functional component with first and second cleaning surfaces that can clean different portions of the lens. This universal cleaning capability is integrated into a single element that moves within the existing trocar assembly structure, providing comprehensive cleaning without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning element is movable within the trocar assembly, allowing dynamic positioning of the cleaning surfaces against the lens. This dynamic capability enables comprehensive cleaning access without requiring a complex fixed multi-component structure, as the single movable element can assume multiple cleaning positions
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a trocar assembly with an integrated scope-cleaning structure. The trocar assembly may include a housing defining boundaries of a chamber with (a) a proximal opening configured to receive a distal end of a scope, and (b) a distal opening in fluid and mechanical communication with a trocar cannula. The trocar assembly may further include a cleaning element located at least partially between the proximal opening and the distal opening, where the cleaning element is movable with respect to the housing from at least a first setting where a first portion of the cleaning element may be in a first location and may form a first cleaning surface within the chamber, the first cleaning surface configured to remove debris from a distal end of the scope when the distal end of the scope contacts the first portion of the cleaning element.