Variable-Length Support Assembly for Flexible Instrument Buckling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing minimally invasive medical procedures face challenges in guiding and supporting flexible interventional instruments as they are inserted into patient anatomy, leading to undesirable deformation such as bending or buckling, which can damage internal components like optical fiber shape sensors or endoscopic equipment.
Innovation Solution
A variable-length support assembly with eyelets and support members that transition between compressed and expanded configurations to align and stabilize the instrument, providing longitudinal support and minimizing buckling during insertion and withdrawal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flexible interventional instrument is inserted into patient anatomy without external support, then the instrument can be easily maneuvered and inserted, but the flexible nature of the instrument causes it to bend, twist, or buckle in an undesirable manner at a point external to the patient's body
Solution Approach 1:
A support assembly acts as an intermediary structure between the operator and the flexible instrument. This support assembly includes a series of support members that contact and stabilize the instrument along its length, preventing buckling and twisting while allowing the instrument to remain flexible for navigation through patient anatomy. The support members serve as temporary mediators during insertion and withdrawal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The support assembly is designed to be dynamically adjustable, transitioning between compressed and expanded configurations. During insertion, the support assembly expands to provide maximum support and prevent buckling. During navigation, the support can be compressed or adjusted to allow flexibility. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between needing stability during insertion and flexibility during navigation.
2Productivity
If force is exerted to insert the flexible instrument into the patient's anatomy, then the instrument can be advanced, but the flexible nature of the instrument causes deformation that may damage internal components such as optical fiber shape sensors or endoscopic equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The support assembly provides beforehand cushioning by positioning support members along the instrument's path before insertion forces are applied. These support members act as cushioning elements that distribute and absorb insertion forces, preventing concentration of stress at vulnerable points where internal components like optical fibers and endoscopic equipment are located. This prior cushioning protects components while enabling forceful insertion when needed.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the support assembly is made rigid to prevent deformation, then instrument stability is improved, but the support assembly cannot be easily stored or transported
Solution Approach 1:
The support assembly is segmented into multiple collapsible support members that can be divided and folded. Each support member is an independent unit that can be collapsed individually or in groups, allowing the entire assembly to be compressed into a compact form for storage and transport. When deployed, these segmented members reconstruct the stable support structure needed to prevent instrument deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The support members are designed with nested doll characteristics, where smaller support members fit within larger ones during compression. The support assembly collapses into a compact nested configuration for storage, with each support member telescoping or folding within the structure of the previous member. Upon deployment, the nested members expand outward to form the full stable support structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for guiding an elongated flexible instrument comprises a variable-length support assembly. The variable-length support assembly includes a first end, a second end, a plurality of support member pairs, and a plurality of eyelets configured to receive the elongated flexible instrument. Each support member pair comprises a first support member linked to a second support member, and each of the plurality of eyelets is movably coupled to at least one of the plurality of support member pairs along a longitudinal central axis between the first end and the second end. The variable-length support assembly is configured to selectively transition from a compressed configuration to an expanded configuration along the longitudinal central axis, and the plurality of eyelets are adapted to support the elongated flexible instrument as the elongated flexible instrument is advanced along the longitudinal central axis. Each of the plurality of eyelets includes a tapered alignment member configured to contact a tapered alignment member of an adjacent eyelet to move the plurality of eyelets into alignment along the longitudinal axis as the variable length assembly transitions from the expanded configuration to the compressed configuration.