Sustainable Trocar Design

Timeline

September 2022 - March 2023

Client

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Sustainable Medical Devices

Trocars are medical devices that are used in laparoscopic surgeries. They are used to pierce through the abdomen and the surgery is conducted by inserting instruments through the trocar’s cannula. Over 13 million laparoscopic surgeries are performed annually with around 3 disposable trocars being used for each surgery.

Our aim for this project was to find a way to minimize single-use plastics for laparoscopic appendectomies in operating rooms to promote more sustainable practices in the medical environment. 

Disposable Trocars

Disposable Trocars

Initial Ideation: Increasing Efficiency of Reusable Trocars

Initially we decided to make the current reusable trocars on the market to be more efficient and easy to use. Since these trocars need to be disassembled and reassembled to sterilize after each surgery we tried to find a way to maximize the efficiency of the cleaning process.  

I designed two innovations to streamline assembly: the Claw Assemble and the Magnetic Cap Assemble. Both eliminates the need for manual screw assembly on the gas valve cap, reducing assembly time and manual labor.

Claw Assemble

Magnetic Cap Assemble

Change in Direction: Adjustable Sizing for Reusable Trocars

Following feedback from surgeons, we learned that enhancing the cleaning process wasn't a sufficient motivator for doctors so we decided to look into making reusable trocars adjustable in size. My work involved researching and creating mock-ups for adaptable seals to facilitate this size variation. 

Friction Testing

Leakage Testing

Mockup Seals

2nd Ideation:

We developed the "star seal," a versatile seal cap adjustable to various instrument sizes, eliminating mid-surgery trocar swaps. Since we couldn’t use mock-ups in actual surgery , we focused on testing leakage and friction for doctor usability as well as material research. Trials with 5mm and 10mm instruments determined that a 2mm thick, 5-slit star-shaped seal optimally balanced leakage prevention and ease of penetration.

Reusable Trocar with Adjustable Seal Cap

We came up with two designs for the star seal, the "Star Seal Cap" and the "Sandwich Insert" made out of nitrile rubber to accommodate for different structured reusable trocars that could be sterilized.

-This insert allows the 10 mm reusable trocar to accommodate between 5mm and 10 mm instrument sizes without having to change the trocar itself.

-This way the doctors have more of an incentive to switch to reusable trocars from disposable ones, decreasing their costs as well as their environmental impact.


I also performed a cost analysis report about switching to reusable trocars.

Star Seal

Sandwich Insert