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Surgeon feedback drives need for lower “force to fire” from IncisionTech
A key surgical device platform technology was suffering from on-going complaints from surgeons. The complaints related specifically to the amount of force that a surgeon needed to exert by hand in order to get the surgical instrument to fully complete its cutting cycle.
Applications engineers from IncisionTech worked concurrently with design engineers from the medical device OEM in a rapid prototyping environment to help an isolate the mechanical design flaw that created the high cutting force. Producing different cutting edge geometries via a proprietary sharpening process demonstrated the significant affect that the ultimate cutting edge geometry and related sharpness had on the "force to fire".
The sharpest lot of new knives were so sharp that the surgeons actually lost all tactile feel in the use of the device, so a formal "Design of Experiments" was utilized to optimize the sharpness of the edge as compared to the required desired amount of tactic feedback needed during use of the device. The ultimate difference in cutting performance was accurately quantified in our IncisionLab and a cut force test was developed to assure on-going quality control during production.
Results for the surgeon were dramatic! The problems associated with the high “force to fire” were totally eliminated along with any concern for cutting performance.
If you want to get more value from your medical device design, then call us at 1-800-213-7809 for help in simplifying your design.
We can also be reached by fax: 1-800-742-7741
Additional case studies are provided to illustrate how IncisionTech has become the Center of Excellence by improving patient outcomes.
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