Finger-Guided Zip Line Suture Anchor Delivery System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intracorporeal suturing during surgery is challenging due to the difficulty in manipulating suturing instruments within the body, especially when the target location is difficult to reach and not visually accessible, requiring precise placement of sutures without direct visualization.
Innovation Solution
A digital suture fixation system that includes an introducer attached to a finger with a zip line, allowing a delivery device to guide an anchor into the tissue along the zip line for precise placement, even if the target location is not visible, using a finger to palpate and identify landmarks and guide the delivery device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the surgeon uses fingers to dissect tissue and form a space for access, then the surgeon can palpate and identify target locations, but the space must be large enough to accommodate both fingers and suturing instruments which increases incision size and tissue trauma
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a zip line as an intermediary guide that extends from outside the body to the target location within the tissue. The delivery device travels along this zip line to reach the target without requiring the surgeon to insert fingers deep into the tissue, thereby reducing the size of the incision needed and minimizing tissue trauma while maintaining accurate target location identification
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the functions of target location identification (performed by the surgeon's finger through the introducer) and suture delivery (performed by the delivery device traveling along the zip line). This segmentation allows the incision to be minimized while still enabling both palpation for identification and precise instrument delivery to the target location
2Manufacturing precision
If the target location is disposed inside the patient's body at an angle that is difficult to reach, then precise suture placement is required, but direct visualization of the target location is precluded
Solution Approach 1:
The zip line serves as a pre-established guide pathway that extends from the external environment to the difficult-to-reach target location inside the body. The delivery device travels along this intermediary zip line, which provides a stable reference path that enables precise suture placement at the target location even though the surgeon cannot directly visualize the target
Solution Approach 2:
The zip line is established beforehand (preliminarily) before the delivery of the suture device. This preliminary action creates a ready-made guide pathway that simplifies the subsequent delivery process, allowing the surgeon to accurately deliver the suture to the difficult-to-reach target location without needing to visualize it directly during the delivery process
3Ease of operation
If the surgeon manipulates suturing instruments within the confines of an incision, then intracorporeal suturing can be performed, but the surgeon has limited freedom of movement and dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The zip line acts as an intermediary guide that simplifies the manipulation of the delivery device by providing a predefined pathway. Instead of requiring the surgeon to manually navigate a complex instrument through tight incisional confines, the delivery device simply needs to be delivered along the zip line, significantly easing the manipulation requirements while adding minimal system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The zip line provides self-guidance for the delivery device, eliminating the need for complex manual manipulation techniques. The delivery device essentially guides itself along the pre-established zip line pathway, reducing the skill and dexterity requirements for the surgeon while performing intracorporeal suturing in difficult-to-reach locations
Data Source
AI summary
A method of fixing a suture to tissue of a patient includes placing an introducer onto a finger, the introducer including a zip line trailing from a proximal end of the introducer. The method additionally includes identifying a landmark with the finger, guiding a delivery device along the zip line toward the introducer, where the delivery device maintaining an anchor attached to a suture line, and ejecting the anchor from the delivery device and into the tissue of the patient.