Breakaway Connector for Needle-Free IV Lines
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional breakaway fluid line connectors are not optimized for use with needle-free connectors in medical and veterinary applications, leading to bulky and inefficient assemblies due to the presence of multiple valves, which can cause separation issues under inappropriate tension, potentially harming patients or clinicians.
Innovation Solution
A breakaway connector apparatus with a housing and a breakaway component that separates from the housing when a specific threshold tensile force is applied, utilizing the push-out force from the needle-free connector to ensure separation within a clinically acceptable range, thereby reducing the need for additional valves and improving safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional breakaway connectors with two valves are used, then fluid flow can be blocked on both sides, but the assembly becomes bulky and oversized when attached to needle-free connectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the function of the patient-side valve with the needle-free connector's existing seal. The seal on the needle-free connector acts as the patient-side valve, eliminating the need for a separate patient-side valve component. This consolidation reduces the overall size and complexity of the connector assembly while maintaining the dual-valve functionality for blocking fluid flow in both directions during separation events.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the connector is designed to separate under low tension, then patient and clinician safety is improved, but the connector may separate under normal bodily movements or line adjustments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the breakaway force parameter to fall within a clinically acceptable range. By carefully selecting and tuning the breakaway force parameter, the connector is designed to separate under forces that could cause injury (such as powerful movements) while remaining stable during normal use (bodily movements, line adjustments). This parameter optimization balances safety with operational reliability.
3Reliability
If the connector is designed to separate under high tension, then accidental separation during normal use is prevented, but the connector may not separate in time to prevent injury during powerful movements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the breakaway force parameter to a specific range that ensures the connector remains stable during normal operations (preventing accidental separation) while still allowing separation under excessive force conditions (preventing injury). This parameter tuning resolves the contradiction by finding the optimal balance point between stability and safety.
4Reliability
If multiple valves are included in the connector assembly, then fluid leakage is prevented during separation, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the function of the patient-side valve with the needle-free connector's seal mechanism. Instead of adding a separate patient-side valve component, the existing seal is utilized to perform the valve function. This merging reduces the total number of valves from two separate components to effectively one additional valve (the injection-side valve on the breakaway connector), thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining leakage prevention capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of selecting a breakaway connector apparatus for attachment to a needle-free connector on an intravenous (IV) line is provided. The method includes providing a needle-free connector for attachment to a breakaway connector. The needle-free connector includes a push-out force associated with the needle-free connector. The method further includes identifying the push-out force imparted by the needle-free connector, and identifying a desired range of separation force associated with separating a first portion of the IV line from a second portion of the IV line. The method further includes selecting a breakaway connector device including a housing and a breakaway component that is configured to detach from the housing when a breakaway force is applied to the device, such that a sum of the breakaway force and the push-out force is within the desired range of separation force.