Design and Experimental Study of Bio-Inspired Surgical Needle
Advisor(s)
Dr. Parsaoran Hutapea; Temple University
Discipline
Engineering
Start Date
21-4-2021 9:10 AM
End Date
21-4-2021 9:25 AM
Abstract
Brain biopsy procedures are vulnerable to complications such as tissue scarring, damage, inflammation, and deflection caused by surgical needles. A large insertion force is found in the incompatibilities with tissue properties and needle geometry design, which in return causes unintended complications to the patient. An insect’s stinger is able to penetrate a wide array of tissues with minimal pain due to an abnormally low required insertion force. These traits inspire the investigation of bio-inspired needles to decrease insertion forces in surgical procedures, particularly brain biopsy procedures. This work will focus on needle geometry design inspired from mosquito and honeybee needles to create a bio-inspired needle suitable for surgical use that causes less complication than existing solutions. The mosquito-inspired needle consists of a maxilla-shaped shaft and labrum-tip design. The honeybee-inspired needle uses a unique system of barbs that easily penetrates tissue. The insertion force is measured using a force sensor, fixed at the end of the needle to measure the needle’s uniaxial force in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gels. These gels mimic the characteristics of tissue. Because insertion speed can cause discrepancies in insertion force, the needles are inserted at a constant speed using a motorized linear stage.
Design and Experimental Study of Bio-Inspired Surgical Needle
Brain biopsy procedures are vulnerable to complications such as tissue scarring, damage, inflammation, and deflection caused by surgical needles. A large insertion force is found in the incompatibilities with tissue properties and needle geometry design, which in return causes unintended complications to the patient. An insect’s stinger is able to penetrate a wide array of tissues with minimal pain due to an abnormally low required insertion force. These traits inspire the investigation of bio-inspired needles to decrease insertion forces in surgical procedures, particularly brain biopsy procedures. This work will focus on needle geometry design inspired from mosquito and honeybee needles to create a bio-inspired needle suitable for surgical use that causes less complication than existing solutions. The mosquito-inspired needle consists of a maxilla-shaped shaft and labrum-tip design. The honeybee-inspired needle uses a unique system of barbs that easily penetrates tissue. The insertion force is measured using a force sensor, fixed at the end of the needle to measure the needle’s uniaxial force in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gels. These gels mimic the characteristics of tissue. Because insertion speed can cause discrepancies in insertion force, the needles are inserted at a constant speed using a motorized linear stage.