Development of Cutting and Suction Device with Twist Blade Screw for Minimally Invasive Surgery: Evaluation of Suction Performance

In this study, we aim to develop a narrow-diameter and long-bore device for minimally invasive surgery that achieves the simultaneous cutting and suction of body tissue such as the diseased part of an organ. In this paper, we propose a screw made of a thin metal plate, and we developed a prototype device using this screw. For smooth operation, the suction performance must be superior to the cutting performance. Therefore, we performed experiments and evaluated the suction performance of the developed device assuming the crushed tissue pieces correspond to a highly viscous fluid. From the results, we confirmed that the suction volume is almost proportional to the rotation speed of the screw in the low speed range, and the device has an upper limit of suction volume at a certain rotation speed. Considering practical use, its proportional speed range is suitable for the device controllability of cutting and suction volume, and the size of the device tip needs to be 1 mm or more. Based on these conditions, we are planning to examine the shape of the cutting edge for realizing efficient cutting and suction and we will complete the device.