Ergonomic Ureteroscope with Segmented Single-Use Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ureteroscopes are expensive to manufacture and challenging to use due to ergonomic issues, requiring unnatural hand movements and lacking clear indications of the distal tip's orientation and position during medical procedures, which complicates navigation and control during ureteroscopy and pyeloscopy.
Innovation Solution
The development of ureteroscopes with a single-use and reusable portion design, featuring a powered or manual rotation drive system and deflection control system, integrated into a ergonomic housing assembly with luer ports for easy control and visualization, allowing for efficient navigation and orientation of the distal tip within the patient's body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional ureteroscopes are designed with reusable components, then manufacturing cost increases, but device complexity and ergonomic performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The ureteroscope is divided into two distinct segments: a single-use portion containing the cannula, imaging module, and rotation drive system, and a reusable handle portion containing the housing assembly and control mechanisms. This segmentation allows the expensive imaging and rotation components to be discarded after one use, while the simpler handle is reused, thereby reducing manufacturing costs without increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a disposable single-use portion that includes the cannula, imaging module, and rotation drive system. These components are designed to be inexpensive and single-use, eliminating the need for costly sterilization and maintenance of these critical components, thus reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining operational simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If conventional ureteroscopes lack ergonomic design, then ease of operation improves, but operator fatigue increases and procedural accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle portion features an asymmetric ergonomic design with a pistol-grip configuration that conforms to the natural curvature of the hand. The housing assembly includes asymmetricly positioned ports and controls that match the operator's hand anatomy, allowing for more comfortable and precise control during procedures, thereby reducing fatigue while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle and housing assembly incorporate curved surfaces and rounded edges that follow the natural contours of the human hand. The pistol-grip design utilizes curved geometry to distribute pressure evenly across the operator's hand and fingers, improving comfort during extended procedures while maintaining precise control for accurate tip navigation.
3Device complexity
If conventional ureteroscopes lack clear orientation indication, then device complexity reduces, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing assembly incorporates color-coded indicators and visual markers that change or vary in color to indicate the orientation and position of the cannula tip relative to the target area. These color changes provide immediate visual feedback to the operator about the distal tip's orientation without adding complex mechanical indicators, thus maintaining simplicity while dramatically improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual and tactile intermediaries such as colored markers, illuminated indicators, and textured surfaces on the handle that mediate between the internal cannula orientation and the operator's perception. These intermediaries translate the complex internal orientation information into simple, intuitive visual cues that are easily understood during procedures.
4Ease of operation
If conventional ureteroscopes require unnatural hand movements, then ease of operation improves, but operator fatigue increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ureteroscope incorporates dynamic control mechanisms including a motorized rotation drive system with electronic controls that allow the operator to rotate the cannula using simple button inputs rather than manual twisting motions. The deflection control system uses cable mechanisms that translate small handle movements into controlled cannula tip deflection, reducing the natural hand movements required and thereby decreasing operator fatigue while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A ureteroscope or endoscope in which a reusable portion is inserted into a pistol-grip handle of a single-use portion and a resilient cap covers the reusable portion and a hollow end of the handle. A hub assembly and cannula of the single-use portion can be rotated either under power or manually, and a tip portion of the cannula can be deflected manually or under power in a deflection plane. One or more ports can be attached to the hub assembly communicate with one or more lumen in the cannula. The ports are aligned in a luer plane that may be in-line with the deflection plane or at an angle relative to the deflection plane. A remote display connects to the ureteroscope or endoscope wirelessly or through a cable.