Resilient Bite Block with Airway Lumen for Transoral Procedures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bite blocks made from hard plastics are uncomfortable for patients and may not adequately prevent expulsion during surgical procedures, especially in cases where anatomical structures like the tongue need to be constrained, such as in transoral procedures involving obese patients.
Innovation Solution
A bite block designed with a resilient polymeric material, such as low-density polyethylene, featuring a thicker wall structure and a higher retaining flange to resist compression and a separate airway lumen to manage the tongue and maintain an airway, allowing for larger instrument diameters and improved patient comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hard plastic materials are used to provide sufficient rigidity to resist compression, then the instrument lumen can be defined by a relatively thin shell providing adequate protection, but the bite block becomes uncomfortable for the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using softer polymeric materials with specific Shore Durometer hardness ranges (e.g., Shore D 40-60) instead of hard plastics, while compensating for the reduced inherent strength through increased wall thickness to maintain adequate compression resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite polymeric materials that combine appropriate hardness, flexibility, and structural properties, selecting from various polyethylene and polypropylene formulations to achieve both patient comfort and sufficient mechanical strength
2Quantity of substance
If a thin shell structure is used to define the instrument lumen, then material usage is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but the overall height of the raised lip becomes inadequate to prevent expulsion of the bite block
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the retention problem by extending the retaining lip structure in the vertical dimension, creating a multi-level structure with a first retaining lip and a second retaining lip at different heights, thereby preventing expulsion without requiring excessive material throughout the entire block
3Device complexity
If conventional single lumen bite blocks are used, then device complexity is minimized, but they cannot adequately constrain anatomical structures such as the tongue in obese patients during transoral procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the single-function bite block into a multi-functional device by integrating multiple lumens: an instrument lumen for surgical access and an airway lumen for tongue constraint and airway maintenance, allowing one device to perform multiple critical functions during transoral procedures
Data Source
AI summary
Bite blocks providing an instrument lumen 62 for use during transoral medical procedures may be made from a material having a Shore D hardness less than 60 for improved patient comfort. An air way lumen 64 may be provide in side by side arrangement to the instrument lumen 62 for maintaining the patient's airway. The air way 70 may have a concave guiding channel 72 for helping to guide the instruments down the esophagus.