Wheeled Suture Passer with Selectively Moveable Wire
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing suture passer technologies face challenges in efficiently advancing sutures through anatomical tissue, especially during arthroscopic procedures where limited visibility and space complicate the threading and tying process.
Innovation Solution
A suture passer assembly with a selectively moveable wire member, including a hollow tube and grasping wheels, allows for precise manipulation of the suture by rotating the wheels to advance or retract the wire within the tube, facilitating the passage of sutures through anatomical tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional suture passers are used for arthroscopic procedures, then the suture can be threaded through tissue, but the procedure becomes difficult due to limited visibility and space
Solution Approach 1:
The wire member is nested within the hollow tube, allowing the suture passing mechanism to be compact while maintaining functional independence of each component. The grasping member can extend through the tube wall when needed and retract when not in use, creating a nested configuration that reduces spatial requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The grasping member is designed to be selectively extendable and retractable through the tube wall, transforming from a static structure to a dynamic one. This allows the device to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, enabling easier suture manipulation in confined spaces while maintaining a compact form when the grasping function is not required.
2Measurement precision
If the wire member is made moveable within the hollow tube, then precise manipulation of suture is improved, but the mechanism for advancing the wire becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The wheels are designed to directly engage with the wire member through the tube wall apertures, allowing the wire to be advanced and retracted through simple rotational motion of the wheels. The wire's movement is self-regulated by its interaction with the tube wall and grasping member, reducing the need for complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube wall apertures serve as intermediaries that allow the wheels to interact with the wire member while maintaining the structural integrity of the hollow tube. This intermediary structure enables precise wire manipulation without requiring complex mechanisms that would compromise the tube's strength or sterility.
3Ease of operation
If the grasping member extends through the tube wall, then the wire member can be grasped and moved, but the tube wall structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tube wall is segmented by incorporating discrete apertures at specific locations, allowing the grasping member to extend only where needed. This segmentation maintains the structural integrity of the tube wall while providing functional openings for wire manipulation, avoiding the need for a completely complex or open tube structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A suture passer assembly is used for manipulating a suture with a selectively moveable wire member. The suture passer assembly includes at least one grasping member and a single-body hollow tube. The tube defines a first end, a second end, a tube wall, and a tube passage extending from the first end to the second end. The wire member is moveably received within the tube passage. The tube wall includes at least one aperture that is disposed between the first end and the second end. A first portion of the grasping member extends through the tube wall and into the tube passage via the aperture. A second portion of the grasping member remains outside the hollow tube. The first portion is operable to grasp the wire member and selectively move the wire member relative to the hollow tube due to manipulation of the second portion of the grasping member.