Barbed Suture Packaging with Spiral Groove and Deformable Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical suture packaging for barbed sutures is inadequate, as it often causes the barbs to snag or become compressed, leading to reduced effectiveness and entanglement issues during retrieval, especially in time-sensitive surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A novel suture package design featuring a base and cover with protrusions and a spiral track that accommodate barbed sutures, including a deformable coating to prevent snagging and compression, ensuring the suture remains uncompressed and easy to retrieve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional suture packaging is used for barbed sutures, then the package structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the barbs become compressed or flattened reducing suture effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into multiple functional components: a base member with a spiral groove, a cover member with protrusions, and a deformable coating. This segmentation allows each component to serve its specific function - the base provides structural support, the cover prevents compression, and the coating prevents snagging, thereby maintaining suture effectiveness while remaining manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
A deformable coating is introduced as an intermediary layer between the barbed suture and the packaging structure. This coating acts as a mediator that prevents direct contact between the rigid packaging and the delicate barbs, eliminating compression and snagging issues while allowing the package to maintain its simple manufactured structure.
2Ease of manufacture
If corners or edges are present in the packaging, then the package structure is stable and easy to manufacture, but the barbs snag or lodge within the packaging
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging design eliminates sharp corners and edges by using curved surfaces and rounded transitions. The spiral groove in the base member and the protrusions on the cover member are designed with smooth, curved geometries that prevent barb snagging while maintaining structural stability and ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable coating serves as an intermediary layer that smooths out any potential sharp edges or irregularities in the packaging structure. This coating prevents direct snagging of barbs on packaging features while allowing the package to maintain its stable, easy-to-manufacture structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If the suture is forced into traditional packaging, then the package is simple and easy to manufacture, but the barbs become compressed or flattened
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is segmented into specialized components: a base member with a spiral groove designed to accommodate the suture's path, a cover member with protrusions to prevent compression, and a deformable coating to protect the barbs. This segmentation allows the package to be simple to manufacture while precisely maintaining barb configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable coating acts as an intermediary protective layer that prevents compression and flattening of the barbs during packaging and storage. This coating ensures manufacturing precision of the barb configuration while keeping the overall package simple and easy to manufacture.
4Ease of manufacture
If a rigid packaging structure is used, then the package is stable and easy to manufacture, but the barbs snag on corners or edges
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid packaging structure is designed with curved surfaces and rounded geometries throughout. The spiral groove in the base member and the protrusions on the cover member are formed with smooth, snag-free surfaces that maintain structural stability while preventing barb snagging during handling and retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable coating serves as an intermediary layer between the rigid packaging structure and the barbed suture. This coating prevents direct snagging of barbs on the rigid package features while allowing the package to maintain its stable, easy-to-manufacture rigid structure.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5A~6A
AI summary
A surgical barbed suture package (200), comprising: a substantially flat base member (210) having a top side (212), a bottom side, and an outer periphery (214); an outer wall (220) extending upwardly from said top side of said base member about the periphery of said base member, said outer wall having a top (222), an outer surface, and an inner surface (221); at least one groove (240) in said base member for receiving a suture, each of said grooves having an opening in a bottom (242) and both sides (243) and an opening in said top side of said base member; a needle park (275) for receiving a needle, said needle park centrally mounted to said top side of said base member within the interior wall; and a flat cover member (205) having a top, a bottom, a suture discharge opening, and an outer periphery, wherein said cover member is mounted on said top of said outer wall.