Wire Loop Clot Disruptor for Minimally Invasive Bladder Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing blood clots from the bladder are invasive, time-consuming, and carry risks such as bladder injury and fluid overload due to the need for prolonged suctioning and manual fragmentation.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive apparatus comprising a wire loop that surrounds a clot and can be retracted to decrease its operational area, allowing for controlled cutting and fragmentation of clots, which can be inserted through a cystoscope for direct visualization and rapid clot disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual suctioning and fragmentation is used to remove blood clots, then clot removal can be achieved, but operative time increases and bladder injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical suctioning and fragmentation with an automated wire loop system that mechanically cuts clots through controlled wire retraction. The wire loop, when retracted, cuts through the clot with precision, eliminating the need for prolonged manual suctioning and reducing operative time while minimizing bladder injury risk through controlled, visualized cutting rather than forceful suction.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire loop system segments the clot cutting process into discrete, controlled actions. The loop can be positioned around specific clot portions and retracted to cut only those segments, allowing systematic fragmentation without the need for extensive manual suctioning. This segmented approach increases productivity by targeting clots precisely rather than attempting to remove all clots through prolonged suction.
2Productivity
If extensive saline instillation and suctioning is conducted, then clot fragmentation can occur, but fluid overload risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes extensive fluid-based clot fragmentation with a mechanical wire loop cutting system. Instead of relying on fluid turbulence and suction forces to fragment clots, the wire loop mechanically cuts through clots with precise control. This eliminates the need for extensive saline instillation and prolonged suctioning, thereby reducing fluid volume in the bladder while maintaining effective clot fragmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire loop system extracts the clot cutting function from the fluid-based suctioning process. By using a mechanical loop that can be positioned and retracted independently of fluid flow, the system achieves clot fragmentation without requiring extensive fluid instillation. This extraction of the cutting function from fluid dynamics reduces the quantity of fluid needed while maintaining fragmentation efficiency.
3Productivity
If prolonged suctioning is used to remove clots, then clot evacuation can be achieved, but bladder injury risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces prolonged suctioning with controlled wire loop cutting. The wire loop can be precisely positioned around clots and retracted to cut them in a controlled manner, eliminating the need for prolonged suctioning that causes bladder injury. The cutting action is localized and visualized, allowing complete clot evacuation without the harmful effects of extended suctioning on the bladder wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire loop system incorporates direct visual feedback through the cystoscope, allowing the operator to see the clot and wire loop interaction in real-time. This feedback enables precise control of the cutting process, ensuring complete clot evacuation while avoiding excessive force that could cause bladder injury. The visual feedback loop allows adjustment of wire retraction force and position to minimize harm while maintaining evacuation completeness.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus has an outer sleeve having a longitudinal axis and a wire having opposed first and second ends. A portion of the wire forms a wire loop that extends from the opposed first and second ends in a first direction along the longitudinal axis. The wire loop surrounds an operational area. Retraction of at least one of the first and second ends of the wire in a second direction opposite the first direction along the longitudinal axis decreases the operational area of the wire loop.