One of the most challenging tasks in minimal invasive surgeries is the knotting of suture strands due to the lack of space for performing a free hand knotting. Furthermore, the differences between knotting performances of each individual surgeon, sutures are barely uniform from one closure to the other or even from one surgery to another. This may result in suboptimal healing processes due to insufficiencies or dead tissue at the wound area leading to necessary reoperations. Therefore, a new process and device has been developed by the Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology to replace conventional knots in minimal invasive surgeries by a new laser welding process. In this paper, the process concept, which is based on small fasteners, will be presented. After some insights on the design and production of the fasteners, results from proof-of-concept experiments will be discussed, which show the outstanding robustness and reproducibility of the welding process. In conclusion, a first prototype of a corresponding minimal invasive suturing device will be presented that has successfully been tested in first laboratory experiments. The new process and device for minimal invasive surgical suturing promises to enable an easier, faster, more reproducible, more uniform, and more sufficient performance of sutures with defined suture tensioning compared with conventional, difficult knotting procedures.
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Design Of Medical Devices Conference Abstracts
New Process and Device for Minimal Invasive Surgical Suturing
Adrian Schuette,
Adrian Schuette
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
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Christian Brecher,
Christian Brecher
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
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Michael Emonts,
Michael Emonts
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
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Nicolas Pyschny
Nicolas Pyschny
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
Search for other works by this author on:
Adrian Schuette
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
Christian Brecher
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
Michael Emonts
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
Nicolas Pyschny
Fraunhofer-Institute for Production Technology IPT
J. Med. Devices. Jun 2011, 5(2): 027509 (1 pages)
Published Online: June 9, 2011
Article history
Online:
June 9, 2011
Published:
June 9, 2011
Citation
Schuette, A., Brecher, C., Emonts, M., and Pyschny, N. (June 9, 2011). "New Process and Device for Minimal Invasive Surgical Suturing." ASME. J. Med. Devices. June 2011; 5(2): 027509. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3589811
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