Study and Computer Aided Analysis on a New Biomedical Auto-Suture Apparatus

This paper introduces a new biomedical apparatus for applying surgical clips to patients' tissue or vessel. During surgical process, the apparatus jaw is placed around the vessel or tubular structure. As handles of apparatus are brought together, the clip is closed around the vessel to stop bleeding. As handles are released, a new surgical clip is automatically loaded into the apparatus jaw. Compared with current surgical clip apparatus, this new design provides some potential features to help surgeons' operational procedure, i.e. new mechanism designed to prevent surgical clip from accidentally shooting out when loaded into jaws, enhanced structure installed to prevent jaws from twist that can sever tissues, special supporting feature configured to prevent unexpected jaw closure when extra side- load exerted, and etc. The system is also analyzed by computerized simulation to prove its feasible function with proper mechanical advantage. The preliminary clinician's evaluation indicated the feasibility of this instrument.