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TRIZ method has long proven its value without appearing to the industrial world as inevitable. Design researchers have therefore addressed the limitations of the TRIZ method and have overcome them with more systematic approaches. Among these, the Inventive Design Method (IDM) has been the subject of several articles and put into practice in the industry. It is considered an improvement over TRIZ but still suffers from some drawbacks in terms of the time-consuming nature of its implementation. We focused on the IDM process by trying to both identify its areas of inefficiencies while attempting to preserve the quality of its deliverables. Our approach consists of applying the precepts of Lean to IDM. The result is the Inverse Problem Graph (IPG) method, inspired by IDM, but offering significant progress in reducing the time required to mobilize experts while preserving its inventive outcomes. This article outlines our approach for the construction of this new method.

Engineering designers often adapt their design structure to the needs of functional requirements independently of the capacity of the designed technical system to offer innovative capacities. Based on the notion of contradiction brought from TRIZ theory (Russian acronym for theory of inventive problem solving), we have developed an approach to reversely build a parametric intelligent structure potentially solving a wide range of inventive problematic situations. The proposed structure relies on an elastic buckling instability. A parametric CAD (Computer-Aided Design) model of the structure was carried out and its behavior is studied with finite element analysis (FEA), driven by a design of experiments (DoE). In this article, a specific method of characterization and multi-objective optimization of the structure is offered. Our objective is to bring a method to allow an engineering designer to solve rapidly and inventively his contradictory requirement in adapting it to the industrial application sought for.

Background: Increased esophagogastric junction distensibility occurs with esophageal reflux. The EndoFLIP(®) is now available as a clinical tool to measure this. Control data for patients without reflux has to date only been available for a handful of patients evaluated under sedation during endoscopy. This study explores the baseline data for patients who undergo laparoscopy using general anesthesia with pneumoperitoneum.Methods: Patients who require surgery in the absence of a history of esophageal reflux underwent EndoFLIP(®) evaluation of pressure, cross-sectional area, and distensibility with bag fills of 30 and 40 ml. This was performed after induction of anesthesia, during pneumoperitoneum, and just before extubation.Results: Baseline levels were established and were noted to be significantly affected by the impact of pneumoperitoneum, with negligible effects from general anesthesia, patient gender, age, body mass index, or muscle relaxation.Conclusions: These data provide a guide for more accurate intraoperative EndoFLIP(®) calibration of crural hiatal repair during surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Minimally invasive pancreatic resection has been gathering interest over the last decade due to the technical demands and high morbidity associated with these typically open procedures. We report our experience with robotic pancreatectomy within an Australian context., Methods: All patients undergoing robotic distal pancreatectomy (DP) and pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) at two Australian tertiary academic hospitals between May 2014 and December 2020 were included., Results: Sixty-two patients underwent robotic pancreatectomy during the study period. Thirty-four patients with a median age of 68 years (range 42-84) were in the PD group whilst the DP group included 28 patients with a median age of 60 years (range 18-78). Thirteen patients (46.4%) in the DP group had spleen-preserving procedures. There were 13 conversions (38.2%) in the PD group whilst 0 conversions occurred in the DP group. The Clavien-Dindo grade ≥III complication rate was 26.4% and 17.9% in the PD and DP groups, respectively. Two deaths (5.9%) occurred within 90-days in the PD group whilst none were observed in the DP group. The median length of hospital stay was 11.5 days (range 4-56) in the PD group and 6 days (range 2-22) in the DP group., Conclusion: Robotic pancreatectomy outcomes at our institution are comparable with international literature demonstrating it is both safe and feasible to perform. With improved access to this platform, robotic pancreas surgery may prove to be the turning point for patients with regards to post-operative complications as more experience is obtained., (© 2024 The Authors. ANZ Journal of Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Background: Complete surgical removal of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is central to all curative treatment approaches for this aggressive disease, yet this is only possible in patients technically amenable to resection. Hence, an accurate assessment of whether patients are suitable for surgery is of paramount importance. The SCANPatient trial aims to test whether implementing a structured synoptic radiological report results in increased institutional accuracy in defining surgical resectability of non-metastatic PDAC., Methods: SCANPatient is a batched, stepped wedge, comparative effectiveness, cluster randomised clinical trial. The trial will be conducted at 33 Australian hospitals all of which hold regular multi-disciplinary team meetings (MDMs) to discuss newly diagnosed patients with PDAC. Each site is required to manage a minimum of 20 patients per year (across all stages). Hospitals will be randomised to begin synoptic reporting within a batched, stepped wedge design. Initially all hospitals will continue to use their current reporting method; within each batch, after each 6-month period, a randomly selected group of hospitals will commence using the synoptic reports, until all hospitals are using synoptic reporting. Each hospital will provide data from patients who (i) are aged 18 or older; (ii) have suspected PDAC and have an abdominal CT scan, and (iii) are presented at a participating MDM. Non-metastatic patients will be documented as one of the following categories: (1) locally advanced and surgically unresectable; (2) borderline resectable; or (3) anatomically clearly resectable (Note: Metastatic disease is treated as a separate category). Data collection will last for 36 months in each batch, and a total of 2400 patients will be included., Discussion: Better classifying patients with non-metastatic PDAC as having tumours that are either clearly resectable, borderline or locally advanced and unresectable may improve patient outcomes by optimising care and treatment planning. The borderline resectable group are a small but important cohort in whom surgery with curative intent may be considered; however, inconsistencies with definitions and an understanding of resectability status means these patients are often incorrectly classified and hence overlooked for curative options., Trial Registration: The SCANPatient trial was registered on 17th May 2023 in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) (ACTRN12623000508673)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The study unfolds with an acknowledgment of the extensive exploration of TRIZ components, spanning a solid philosophy, quantitative and inductive methods, and practical tools, over the years. While the adoption of Semantic TRIZ (S-TRIZ) in high-tech industries for system development, innovation, and production has increased, the application of AI technologies to specific TRIZ components remains unexplored. This systematic literature review is conducted to delve into the detailed integration of AI with TRIZ, particularly S-TRIZ. The results elucidate the current state of AI applications within TRIZ, identifying focal TRIZ components and areas requiring further study. Additionally, the study highlights the trending AI technologies in this context. This exploration serves as a foundational resource for researchers, developers, and inventors, providing valuable insights into the integration of AI technologies with TRIZ concepts. The study not only paves the way for the development and automation of S-TRIZ but also outlines limitations for future research, guiding the trajectory of advancements in this interdisciplinary field ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Malignant tumours within the proximal pancreas traditionally require pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for cure. For smaller lesions with borderline malignant potential the risk/benefit of PD becomes difficult to justify. Robotic approaches to these lesions allow for parenchymal preserving resection with reduced complication profile without oncological compromise., Methods: A review of a single surgeons prospectively collated database across two institutions of consecutive robotic enucleations or parenchyma preserving resections of the proximal pancreas was performed between July 2018 and October 2021. Standard demographic data, preoperative variables, intraoperative parameters, post-operative outcomes, morbidity and mortality were recorded., Results: Thirteen patients (8 female and 5 male) underwent robotic enucleation (EN) (8) and/or uncinectomy (UN) (5) in the proximal pancreas. Mean BMI was 32(kg/m 2 ). Three patients (21%) underwent preoperative prophylactic pancreatic duct stenting. One patient required conversion to open. The median operative time in the EN group was 170 min (108-224 min) and the UN group was 160 min (110-204 min). The majority (8) of lesions were pNETs. Three lesions were IPMNs, with 1 solitary fibrous tumour and a serous cystic neoplasm (SCN) respectively. Median tumour size was 23 mm (11-58 mm) in the EN group, and 27 mm (17-38 mm) in the UN group. Ten of 13 patients had an R0 resection. There was no mortality in our series. Four (31%) patients across both groups developed clinically relevant POPF while none developed new endocrine or exocrine insufficiency. Average outpatient follow-up has been 6 months (1-18 months)., Conclusion: A robotic approach in proximal parenchymal preserving pancreatectomy is expanding, safe and feasible., (© 2023 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.)

Background: SUVmax of a primary pancreatic tumour on FDG-PET/CT (SUVmax-p) may predict early post-operative recurrence. This has not been tested in the context of routine pre-operative FDG-PET/CT. It is also unknown whether this association exists independent of local residual tumour., Methods: FDG-PET/CT was performed routinely prior to resection of pancreatic or peri-ampullary adenocarcinoma between 2008 and 2012 as part of a previous prospective study. We compared SUVmax-p according to whether recurrence was diagnosed within 6 months of resection. We also determined the odds ratio for recurrence within 6 months for multiple cut-points of SUVmax-p. This analysis was repeated exclusively for patients who had resection with clear surgical margins (R0)., Results: Of 56 patients from the initial study 23 underwent resection and were eligible. Recurrence within 6 months was associated with higher median SUVmax-p (5.9 vs 3.5; p = 0.04). This was also observed in 12 patients who underwent R0 resection (6.5 vs 2.2; p = 0.05). The cut-point with the highest odds for recurrence within 6 months for both groups was SUVmax-p ≥ 5.5 (OR = 10.8, CI = 1.56-109; OR[R0] = 24.0, CI = 1.64-1020)., Conclusion: SUVmax-p on routine FDG-PET/CT is useful for identifying patients likely to benefit from additional pre-operative staging or neoadjuvant therapy, even where clear margins can confidently be achieved., (Copyright © 2022 International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)