Thyroid postoperative drainage auxiliary device
The drainage tube is fixed by an arc-shaped fixation plate and an adjustment plate clamping assembly. Combined with a non-contact flow rate sensing module, the problems of unstable fixation of the drainage tube and sensor contact are solved, realizing stable, comfortable and safe postoperative drainage and providing real-time and accurate flow rate measurement.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- QIONGHAI HOSPITAL OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-19
AI Technical Summary
In existing post-thyroidectomy drainage devices, the drainage tube is not fixed stably and is prone to falling off, increasing the risk of infection. In addition, traditional adhesive tape can cause skin irritation and discomfort, and the sensor can easily cause blockage and infection when it comes into contact with the drainage fluid.
An arc-shaped fixing plate and an adjusting plate are used to form a ring. The clamping component fixes the drainage tube. Combined with a non-contact flow velocity sensing module, the flow velocity is detected by temperature difference. The flow velocity of the drainage fluid is measured by a heating element and a temperature detector. The rectifier component optimizes the flow state to ensure comfortable and safe fixation.
It achieves stable fixation of the drainage tube, avoids skin irritation and infection risks, ensures drainage efficiency and safety, provides real-time and accurate flow rate measurement, reduces noise interference, and improves measurement accuracy and stability.
Smart Images
Figure CN122057094A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical auxiliary device technology, specifically to a post-thyroidectomy drainage auxiliary device. Background Technology
[0002] Thyroid surgery is a core surgical procedure for treating thyroid diseases. Due to the need for tissue dissection during the operation, the wound is relatively large, and postoperative bleeding, tissue fluid, and lymphatic fluid exudation are common. Effective drainage of these exudates is crucial for preventing hematoma formation, reducing the risk of wound infection, and promoting healing. In addition, the drainage status is an important indicator for observing whether there are serious complications such as active bleeding or tracheoesophageal fistula after surgery. Therefore, postoperative placement of drainage support devices has become standard clinical practice.
[0003] Currently, postoperative drainage devices used in clinical practice rely heavily on medical adhesive dressings or tapes to fix the drainage tubes to the patient's skin. However, factors such as neck movement and sweating after surgery can easily cause the tape to lose its adhesiveness, leading to loosening, displacement, or even complete detachment of the dressing or drainage tube fixation point. This can not only cause the drainage tube to fall out and lose its drainage function but also increase the risk of retrograde infection, seriously affecting postoperative recovery. Furthermore, prolonged contact of the tape with the skin can easily cause local allergies, itching, or pressure discomfort. When changing or removing the tape, the adhesive may pull and damage the skin. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This invention aims to provide a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device. It utilizes an arc-shaped fixing plate and an adjusting plate to form an open ring, which is fitted onto the neck. A clamping assembly secures the drainage tube, avoiding skin irritation, allergies, and tearing pain caused by adhesive tape. The device provides a comfortable and secure fixation, allowing for safe neck movement and facilitating post-operative recovery. A non-contact flow rate sensing module detects the velocity of the drainage fluid within the tube, enabling real-time, accurate, and safe measurement of the drainage rate. This provides crucial reference data for adjusting the negative pressure, ensuring both efficiency and safety of the drainage. This invention solves the problems described in the prior art.
[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:
[0006] A post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device includes a fixation plate and an adjustment plate, both of which are arc-shaped plates. The fixation plate and the adjustment plate are adjustablely connected to form an open annulus. The fixation plate is connected to a plurality of clamping components for clamping and fixing the drainage tube. Each clamping component includes a second clamping seat connected to the fixation plate. The second clamping seat is connected to a non-contact flow rate sensing module for detecting the flow rate of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube.
[0007] Furthermore, the non-contact flow velocity sensing module includes a heating element connected to the second clamping seat and at least two temperature detectors. The heating element heats the drainage tube it clamps, and the temperature detectors are used to detect the temperature of the outer wall of the drainage tube. The temperature carried away by the liquid flow in the drainage tube is obtained by the temperature difference obtained from the upstream and downstream temperature detectors, and then the flow velocity of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube is obtained.
[0008] Furthermore, the clamping assembly comprises at least two pieces, and one of the second clamping seats is connected to two temperature detectors. The two temperature detectors are respectively located upstream and downstream of the heating element. The upstream temperature detector detects the temperature of the drainage tube before heating, and the downstream temperature detector detects the temperature of the drainage tube after heating. The temperature difference obtained from the two temperature detectors in the middle of the two clamping assemblies is used to obtain the temperature carried away by the liquid flow in that section of the drainage tube, thereby obtaining the flow rate of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube.
[0009] Furthermore, the adjusting plate is connected to a rectifier assembly, which includes a first clamping seat connected to the adjusting plate. The first clamping seat is also used to clamp and fix the drainage tube, and the clamping end face of the first clamping seat is higher than the clamping end face of the second clamping seat.
[0010] Furthermore, the clamping center axis of the first clamping seat is vertically arranged, and the clamping center axis of the second clamping seat is horizontally arranged, with the clamping center axes of the second clamping seats of the two clamping assemblies coinciding with each other.
[0011] Furthermore, the adjusting plate is connected to an adjusting bolt via a thread, and the first clamping seat is connected to the bottom of the adjusting bolt body.
[0012] Furthermore, both the first clamping seat and the second clamping seat are connected to flexible pads, and the flexible pads are both located on the inner arc of the fixed plate and the adjusting plate.
[0013] Furthermore, the flexible pad is made of medical rubber material, and the flexible pad is interlocked with both the first clamping seat and the second clamping seat in an interference fit.
[0014] Furthermore, the fixed plate is connected to an adjusting seat, the adjusting seat has an adjusting groove, the adjusting plate is connected to an adjusting part that cooperates with the adjusting groove, and the adjusting part slides through the adjusting groove; the adjusting seat is connected to a locking bolt by a thread, the bottom of the locking bolt abuts against the side wall of the adjusting part, and is used to adjust the relative sliding relationship between the adjusting part and the adjusting groove.
[0015] Furthermore, both the fixing plate and the adjusting plate are made of medical-grade silicone coated with an elastic metal core.
[0016] The principles and beneficial effects of the technical solution are as follows:
[0017] 1. This invention provides a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device. An arc-shaped fixing plate and an adjusting plate work together to form an open ring, which is fitted onto the neck. A clamping assembly clamps and fixes the drainage tube, avoiding skin irritation, allergies, and tearing pain caused by adhesive tape when fixing the drainage tube. The device provides comfortable and secure fixation of the drainage tube, allowing for safe neck movement and facilitating post-operative recovery. The second clamping seat of the clamping assembly is also connected to a non-contact flow rate sensing module. This module detects the velocity of the drainage fluid within the drainage tube, enabling real-time, accurate, and safe measurement of the drainage velocity. This provides crucial reference data for adjusting the negative pressure of the drainage, ensuring both efficiency and safety of the drainage.
[0018] 2. This invention provides a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device. The non-contact flow velocity sensing module includes a heating element and at least two temperature detectors. The heating element heats the drainage tube it holds. The temperature detectors detect the temperature of the outer wall of the drainage tube. The temperature difference between the upstream and downstream temperature detectors is used to determine the temperature carried away by the fluid flowing through the drainage tube, thus obtaining the flow velocity of the drainage fluid within the tube. This non-contact flow velocity sensing module is based on the principle of heat diffusion: the heating element generates a constant heat flow, and its heat is carried away by the fluid (drainage fluid) flowing within the drainage tube through forced convection. The upstream and downstream temperature detectors detect the resulting axial temperature field distribution. According to the principle of heat transfer, under steady-state conditions, the upstream and downstream temperature difference ΔT is inversely proportional to the convective heat transfer coefficient h of the fluid, while h is directly proportional to the m-th power of the Reynolds number Re (the Re number characterizes the flow velocity). Therefore, for postoperative drainage fluid with stable composition and fixed-specification tubing, there is a definite monotonically decreasing functional relationship between temperature difference ΔT and flow rate v: ΔT = F(v). By pre-calibrating this functional relationship, flow rate information or the flow status (such as unobstructed, slow, or blocked) can be obtained based on the real-time measured ΔT. The sensor for detecting drainage velocity is attached to the tube wall, making it completely non-invasive and eliminating the risk of blockage, contamination, and infection caused by sensor contact with the drainage fluid, ensuring high safety. Based on the real-time and accurate flow rate signal from this flow rate sensing module, the operator can adaptively adjust the negative pressure system during drainage (e.g., reducing negative pressure to prevent tissue adsorption damage or triggering pulse flushing when the flow rate is too high, and reducing negative pressure to ensure smooth drainage when the flow rate is too low), resulting in good safety and high efficiency in drainage.
[0019] 3. The present invention provides a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device, which is equipped with two clamping components. The second clamping seat of one clamping component is connected to two temperature detectors. The heating element of the first clamping component (upstream) serves as a heat source. The upstream temperature detector detects the temperature of the drainage tube before heating (T1), and its downstream temperature detector is used to detect the tube wall temperature (T2) after being affected by heating. The position of the upstream temperature detector of the second clamping component (downstream) corresponds to or is adjacent to the downstream temperature detector of the first clamping component. It detects the tube wall temperature (T3) after heat diffusion and flow cooling over a distance. It is used to calculate the effective temperature difference ΔT of the flow rate. It is not the upstream and downstream temperature difference of a single heating unit, but the difference between T2 and T3, i.e., ΔT=T2-T3. The functions of "heating and initial temperature measurement" and "remote temperature measurement" are separated and extended in physical space. This can effectively reduce the influence of environmental temperature fluctuations, patient body temperature changes and other factors on T2 and T3, so that the signal only reflects the difference in axial heat diffusion caused by fluid flow, which significantly improves the anti-interference ability and zero-point stability of the measurement system.
[0020] 4. The present invention provides a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device, in which a rectifier assembly is connected to an adjustment plate. The clamping end face of the first clamping seat of the rectifier assembly is higher than that of the clamping end face of the second clamping seat, so that the flow of drainage fluid is "vertical first and then horizontal" (first rising vertically, then passing horizontally through the measurement section). The vertical rising section can effectively utilize gravity and flow resistance to break up or block the "heterogeneous flow" that may contain air bubbles or discontinuous clots draining from the wound. Air bubbles accumulate at the top of the rising section, and the irregular pulsating flow tends to be stable under the action of gravity. This can effectively ensure that the flow state (flow pattern) of the liquid entering the horizontal measurement section is highly stable and uniform, and closer to laminar flow. It has a guarantee role in the measurement of flow velocity: the relationship ΔT=F(v) of the non-contact flow velocity sensing module is most accurate in a stable laminar flow state. By providing stable flow conditions, the rectifier assembly greatly reduces the noise interference caused by flow turbulence (turbulence, pulsation, gas-liquid two-phase) on the temperature difference signal, making the correspondence between ΔT and the average flow velocity v clearer and the measurement results more repeatable. That is, it optimizes the flow state entering the measurement section, significantly improving the measurement accuracy, stability and reliability of the non-contact flow velocity sensing module.
[0021] 5. The present invention provides a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device, wherein the fixation plate and the adjustment plate are made of medical-grade silicone coated with an elastic metal core, which has biocompatibility, flexibility and good elastic support; the adjustment plate and the fixation plate are fixed by the sliding fit of the adjustment part and the adjustment groove and the locking bolt, which can form a ring that adapts to different neck sizes, achieving large area, low pressure and self-adaptive fit, avoiding the problem of tape fixation falling off due to sweating and movement; the flexible pads on the inner side of the fixation plate and the adjustment plate improve comfort and anti-slip properties. Attached Figure Description
[0022] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a post-thyroidectomy drainage assist device according to the present invention;
[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view of AA;
[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of point B in the middle;
[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a post-thyroidectomy drainage auxiliary device according to the present invention.
[0026] The names of the corresponding labels in the attached diagram are:
[0027] Fixed plate 1, adjusting plate 2, adjusting seat 3, adjusting part 4, adjusting groove 5, locking bolt 6, adjusting bolt 7, first clamping seat 8, flexible pad 9, drainage tube 10, second clamping seat 11, heating element 12, temperature detector 13. Detailed Implementation
[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:
[0029] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a post-thyroidectomy drainage assistance device is used to securely and comfortably fix the drainage tube 10 placed at the surgical wound after thyroid surgery, and to monitor the flow rate of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube 10 in real time and non-invasively. It includes a fixation plate 1, an adjustment plate 2, and an adjustment mechanism. Both the fixation plate 1 and the adjustment plate 2 are arc-shaped plates with good biocompatibility and elasticity. They are made of medical-grade silicone coated with an elastic metal core. The internal elastic metal core (such as medical-grade stainless steel wire) provides the necessary structural support and resilience, ensuring that the fixation ring can maintain its shape and gently conform to the neck. The outer layer of medical-grade silicone ensures softness, comfort, and safety in contact with the skin.
[0030] The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment seat 3 fixedly connected to one end of the fixed plate 1. The adjustment seat 3 has an elongated adjustment groove 5, and one end of the adjustment plate 2 has an adjustment part 4 that cooperates with the adjustment groove 5. During installation, the adjustment part 4 is inserted into the adjustment groove 5, which allows the adjustment plate 2 to slide relative to the fixed plate 1, thereby changing the size of the annular opening formed by the two to accommodate different neck circumferences. To lock the relative position of the fixed plate 1 and the adjustment plate 2, a locking bolt 6 is threadedly connected to the adjustment seat 3. After adjusting to the appropriate size, the locking bolt 6 is tightened so that the bottom of its body tightly abuts against the side wall of the adjustment part 4, generating friction to prevent it from sliding and completing the fixing.
[0031] On the inner arc of the fixing plate 1, two clamping assemblies are connected. Each clamping assembly includes a second clamping seat 11, which is used to clamp and fix the drainage tube 10. To improve patient comfort and prevent tube pressure injury, a flexible pad 9 made of medical rubber material is interlocked with the contact surface between the second clamping seat 11 and the drainage tube 10 by an interference fit. The inner contour of the flexible pad 9 and the second clamping seat 11 matches the outer diameter of the drainage tube 10, which can provide stable gripping force and buffer pressure to prevent deformation of the drainage tube 10. A non-contact flow rate sensing module is integrated on the second clamping seat 11. The non-contact flow rate sensing module includes a heating element 12 and two temperature detectors 13. The heating element 12 is located at the center of the clamping surface of the second clamping seat 11. With constant power, the local tube wall is heated. Two temperature detectors 13 are precisely positioned upstream (closer to the patient's wound) and downstream (away from the patient's wound) of the heating element 12, respectively. When the non-contact flow rate sensing module is working, the heating element 12 applies a constant amount of heat to the tube wall of the drainage tube 10, forming a local heat source. When the drainage fluid in the drainage tube 10 is still, the heat is mainly conducted symmetrically to the surrounding area through the tube wall material, and the temperature difference (ΔT) measured by the upstream and downstream temperature detectors 13 is close to zero. When the drainage fluid begins to flow, the flowing liquid will "carry" the heat at the heating point downstream through forced convection, which causes the downstream tube wall temperature to rise, while the upstream tube wall temperature is closer to the ambient (or body temperature) reference, thus generating a measurable upstream and downstream temperature difference ΔT. According to the forced convection heat transfer law in heat transfer, under steady-state conditions, this temperature difference ΔT is inversely proportional to the convective heat transfer coefficient h of the fluid, and h is directly proportional to the m-th power of the Reynolds number Re, which characterizes the flow intensity (the Re number directly includes the flow velocity v). Therefore, for postoperative drainage fluid with a specific composition and a drainage tube 10 with a fixed inner diameter, there is a definite, monotonically decreasing functional relationship between the measured temperature difference ΔT and the average flow velocity v of the fluid in the tube, i.e., ΔT = F(v). The faster the flow velocity, the stronger the convective heat transfer, and the smaller the temperature difference ΔT; conversely, the slower the flow velocity, the larger ΔT. That is, the drainage status can be directly judged as "unobstructed," "slow," or "suspected blockage" based on the threshold of ΔT.
[0032] To further improve the accuracy, stability, and anti-interference capability of the measurement, this implementation uses two sets of clamping components. The downstream temperature detector 13 in the first (upstream) component measures the temperature T2, and the upstream temperature detector 13 in the second (downstream) component (adjacent to or close to the T2 measuring point) measures the temperature T3. The effective temperature difference ΔT = T2 - T3 is used to calculate the flow velocity. The differential design, which spatially separates "heating and proximal temperature measurement" from "distal temperature measurement," has the following advantages: interferences such as ambient temperature fluctuations and changes in patient body temperature will simultaneously affect T2 and T3. After calculating the difference, these common-mode interferences are greatly suppressed, making the ΔT signal more purely reflect the thermal diffusion effect caused by fluid flow. The system zero point is more stable, and the measurement is more accurate.
[0033] A flow rectifier assembly is connected to the inner arc of the adjusting plate 2 via an adjusting bolt 7. The flow rectifier assembly includes a first clamping seat 8 connected to the bottom of the adjusting bolt 7, and the first clamping seat 8 is also equipped with a flexible pad 9. The clamping end face of the first clamping seat 8 is higher than the clamping end faces of all the second clamping seats 11, and its clamping center axis is set vertically, while the clamping center axes of all the second clamping seats 11 remain horizontal and coincide with each other. This allows the drainage fluid, after being drawn from the wound, to first enter the vertical rising section (fixed by the first clamping seat 8), and then flow into the horizontal measuring section (fixed by the two second clamping seats 11). Utilizing gravity and flow resistance, the unstable flow of fluid from the wound, which may contain intermittent air bubbles or small clumps, can be smoothed out; and air bubbles will naturally gather at the top of the pipe (the highest point of the rising section), making it less likely for them to enter the subsequent horizontal measuring section and negative pressure system. After rectification, the flow state of the drainage fluid entering the horizontal measurement section tends to be more stable and uniform laminar flow, providing near-ideal fluid conditions for the measurement formula ΔT=F(v) of the non-contact flow velocity sensing module. This greatly reduces measurement noise and errors caused by flow turbulence, ensuring the accuracy and repeatability of flow velocity readings.
[0034] The specific implementation process is as follows:
[0035] When using this drainage aid, adjust the opening of the ring formed by the fixing plate 1 and the adjusting plate 2 to a suitable size according to the patient's neck size by sliding the adjusting plate 2, and tighten the locking bolt 6; pass the outlet end of the drainage tube 10 through the first clamping seat 8 and the two second clamping seats 11 in sequence, and clamp and fix it, ensuring that the drainage tube 10 transitions naturally between the vertical and horizontal sections without sharp bends; activate the negative pressure device and the non-contact flow rate sensing module, and obtain the real-time flow rate or drainage status by observing the temperature difference of the temperature detector 13. Medical staff can adjust the parameters of the negative pressure suction device in a timely and reasonable manner based on the flow rate feedback information (such as reducing the negative pressure and alarming when the flow rate is too low, indicating blockage, or increasing the negative pressure to enhance suction after flushing), to achieve safe, efficient, and intelligent postoperative drainage management.
[0036] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention, and common knowledge regarding specific technical solutions or characteristics is not elaborated upon here. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the technical solutions of the present invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. These modifications and improvements will not affect the effectiveness of the implementation of the present invention or the practicality of the patent. The scope of protection claimed in this application should be determined by the content of its claims, and the specific embodiments described in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.
Claims
1. A post-thyroidectomy drainage support device, characterized in that, The device includes a fixed plate and an adjusting plate, both of which are arc-shaped plates. The fixed plate and the adjusting plate are adjustablely connected to form an open annulus. The fixed plate is connected to a plurality of clamping components for clamping and fixing the drainage tube. Each clamping component includes a second clamping seat connected to the fixed plate. The second clamping seat is connected to a non-contact flow rate sensing module, which is used to detect the flow rate of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube.
2. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 1, characterized in that, The non-contact flow velocity sensing module includes a heating element connected to the second clamping seat and at least two temperature detectors. The heating element heats the drainage tube it clamps, and the temperature detectors are used to detect the temperature of the outer wall of the drainage tube. The temperature difference obtained from the upstream and downstream temperature detectors is used to obtain the temperature carried away by the liquid flow in the drainage tube, and thus the flow velocity of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube is obtained.
3. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping assembly comprises at least two pieces, and one of the second clamping seats is connected to two temperature detectors. The two temperature detectors are respectively located upstream and downstream of the heating element. The upstream temperature detector detects the temperature of the drainage tube before heating, and the downstream temperature detector detects the temperature of the drainage tube after heating. The temperature difference obtained from the two temperature detectors in the middle of the two clamping assemblies is used to obtain the temperature carried away by the liquid flow in that section of the drainage tube, and thus the flow rate of the drainage fluid in the drainage tube is obtained.
4. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adjusting plate is connected to a rectifier assembly, which includes a first clamping seat connected to the adjusting plate. The first clamping seat is also used to clamp and fix the drainage tube, and the clamping end face of the first clamping seat is higher than the clamping end face of the second clamping seat.
5. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 4, characterized in that, The clamping center axis of the first clamping seat is set vertically, and the clamping center axis of the second clamping seat is set horizontally. The clamping center axes of the second clamping seats of the two clamping assemblies coincide with each other.
6. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adjusting plate is connected to an adjusting bolt via a thread, and the first clamping seat is connected to the bottom of the adjusting bolt.
7. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 4, characterized in that, Both the first clamping seat and the second clamping seat are connected to flexible pads, and the flexible pads are both located on the inner arc of the fixed plate and the adjusting plate.
8. The postoperative drainage assist device for thyroidectomy according to claim 7, characterized in that, The flexible pad is made of medical rubber material, and the flexible pad is interlocked with both the first clamping seat and the second clamping seat by an interference fit.
9. A post-thyroidectomy drainage assist device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixed plate is connected to an adjusting seat, the adjusting seat has an adjusting groove, the adjusting plate is connected to an adjusting part that cooperates with the adjusting groove, and the adjusting part slides through the adjusting groove; the adjusting seat is connected to a locking bolt by a thread, the bottom of the locking bolt abuts against the side wall of the adjusting part, and is used to adjust the relative sliding relationship between the adjusting part and the adjusting groove.
10. A post-thyroidectomy drainage assist device according to claim 9, characterized in that, Both the fixing plate and the adjusting plate are made of medical-grade silicone coated with an elastic metal core.