Vacuum-Capture Suturing Device for Minimally Invasive Tissue Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical suturing techniques face challenges in passing sutures through remote locations from the incision point, requiring large incisions and undermining, which can cause tissue damage and increase surgical risks, and existing devices are mechanically complex or require multiple sutures.
Innovation Solution
A suturing device with an elongated member, vacuum port, needle capturing assembly, and needle pusher, allowing for controlled passage and multiple sutures through tissue, facilitated by a clamp mechanism and optionally assisted by light and tactile feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If large incisions and undermining are made to pass sutures through remote locations, then suture passage is enabled, but tissue damage and surgical risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote access suture passer device as an intermediary tool that transmits suture material through tissue remotely. The device includes a delivery catheter with a needle and suture mechanism that can pass sutures through tissue at a distance from the incision site, eliminating the need for large undermining while maintaining suture passage capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical suture passing (which requires direct visualization and large incisions) with a controlled delivery system that uses a catheter-based approach. The system substitutes manual forceps manipulation with a mechanized needle delivery system that can be guided through tissue remotely
2Reliability
If multiple sutures are used to achieve multiple passes, then suture security is improved, but device complexity and procedure time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a single suture passer device that can perform multiple suture passes through the same tissue site. The device allows the surgeon to pass the same suture material through tissue multiple times by simply reloading or repositioning the needle mechanism, eliminating the need for multiple separate suture materials and reducing procedural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the recovery and reuse of the suture material after each pass. The delivery system is designed to allow the suture to be pulled back through the tissue and the needle to be repositioned for another pass, rather than requiring disposal and replacement with new suture materials
3Ease of operation
If wide undermining is performed to deliver needle using forceps, then needle delivery is enabled, but tissue disruption and healing compromise increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the needle delivery function from the traditional forceps-based manual system and integrates it into a self-contained delivery catheter. The needle is pre-loaded within the catheter system and can be deployed remotely without requiring external forceps manipulation or large tissue undermining, thus preserving tissue integrity while enabling needle delivery
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables minimally invasive suturing with reduced tissue undermining, minimizing surgical risks and damage, and allowing multiple passes of the suture without the need for additional incisions.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum source in fluid communication with the cavity such that when a vacuum is created in the cavity, the tissue is captured
Data Source
AI summary
A suturing device comprising an elongated member including a cavity formed in a surface thereof, a needle passage, and a vacuum port. When the elongated member is inserted into a body including tissue and a vacuum is applied to the cavity, the tissue is captured by the cavity. A needle pusher is operable to move a needle having a sutured attached thereto through the tissue until a first end of the needle is captured by a needle capturing assembly. A clamp coupled to the elongated member is used to extract the needle from the needle capturing assembly and reposition the needle with suture attached to be re-engaged by the needle pusher. The cavity may include a plurality of cavity portions for capturing multiple contiguous portions of the tissue such that a single pass of the needle and the suture results in the suturing of the multiple portions of the tissue.