Barrel Dampening Element for Pulsatile Medical Fluid Pressure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid management systems using peristaltic or membrane pumps experience undesirable pressure fluctuations in fluid flow, which can be problematic in certain medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A fluid management system incorporating a dampening element with movable seal members and biasing members within barrels to actively dampen pressure fluctuations, smoothing pulsatile fluid flow and including a fluid flow sensor to measure flow rates in both directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If peristaltic or membrane pumps are used to transport fluid, then fluid can be delivered through the medical device, but pressure fluctuations occur in the fluid flow
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening element is positioned in the fluid pathway before the fluid reaches the medical device to preemptively smooth out pressure fluctuations. The biasing members (springs) are pre-loaded to provide immediate counteracting force against pressure spikes, preventing them from reaching the medical device rather than correcting them after occurrence.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampening element with compressible biasing members acts as a cushioning mechanism that absorbs and attenuates pressure fluctuations before they can affect the medical device. The springs are positioned to deflect under pressure spikes, providing mechanical cushioning that smooths the pulsatile flow generated by the peristaltic or membrane pump.
2Productivity
If peristaltic or membrane pumps are used, then fluid flow can be generated, but pulsatile pressure fluctuations are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening element converts the harmful pulsatile pressure fluctuations into beneficial mechanical energy stored in the compressed biasing members. The pressure spikes that would otherwise be harmful are captured and stored as elastic potential energy in the springs, which is then released during low-pressure phases to smooth the overall flow, transforming the harmful pulsations into a stabilizing mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampening element with biasing members serves as an intermediary component between the peristaltic or membrane pump and the medical device. It mediates the interaction by absorbing and attenuating the direct transmission of pulsatile pressures, providing a buffering interface that decouples the pump's pulsatile output from the medical device's requirements for stable pressure.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a dampening element with movable seal members and biasing members is added, then pressure fluctuations are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dampening element utilizes pneumatic principles with compressible gas-filled biasing members (springs) to achieve pressure stabilization. The gas compression and expansion within the springs provides the dampening effect, leveraging well-understood pneumatic mechanisms to smooth pressure fluctuations without requiring complex electronic or mechanical control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The dampening element changes the physical parameters of the fluid flow by converting pulsatile pressure variations into smoother pressure profiles through mechanical compression and expansion of the biasing members. The movable seal members change position in response to pressure changes, and the biasing members change their compression state, thereby transforming the pressure parameter from pulsatile to stable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces pressure and flow fluctuations, maintaining consistent fluid flow rates by actively compensating for pulsatile pressures in both infusion and suction directions.
Implementation Method 1
the biasing member may be an elastic element. the elastic element may be a spring. the elastic element may be in compression. the elastic element may be in tension.
Implementation Method 2
the biasing member may be a gas, such as a gas at atmospheric pressure (e.g., atmospheric air) or a compressed gas.
Implementation Method 3
the biasing member may be a vacuum or a partial vacuum.
Implementation Method 4
the dampening element being responsive to pressure fluctuations of the pulsatile fluid flow to actively dampen the pressure fluctuations and smoothen the pulsatile fluid flow
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid management system may include a fluid pump capable of generating a pulsatile flow of fluid, a fluid pathway for transporting the pulsatile flow of fluid from a fluid source through the fluid pump to a medical device, a dampening element in fluid communication with the fluid pathway and operably independent of the fluid pump, the dampening element comprising one or more barrels, each barrel including a movable seal member disposed within the barrel and a biasing member disposed within the barrel and engaged with the movable seal member, the dampening element being responsive to pressure fluctuations of the pulsatile fluid flow to actively dampen the pressure fluctuations, and a fluid flow sensor disposed along the fluid pathway between the dampening element and the medical device to measure a flow rate of the smoothened pulsatile fluid flow in both flow directions.