Breast Fluid Collection Pad with Negative Pressure and Chaser Fluid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting and testing breast fluid markers for cancer and pre-cancerous conditions are time-intensive, costly, and require trained medical professionals, limiting their accessibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A collection pad that applies negative pressure to the breast using a polymeric matrix, such as polyvinyl acetal, to gather breast fluid, which can be supplemented with additional suction, and a kit for preserving and sending the fluid to a testing center for analysis, including specific markers like PSA, SOD, FTN, PAI-1, uPA, and TF.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional methods are used to collect and test breast fluid markers, then the accuracy of cancer detection is maintained, but the process becomes time-intensive and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The collection pad is pre-treated with a chaser fluid that contains markers or tracers to stimulate breast fluid discharge before actual collection. This preliminary stimulation ensures that sufficient fluid is available for immediate analysis, eliminating the need for time-consuming collection attempts and reducing overall testing time while maintaining detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
A chaser fluid serves as an intermediary substance that is applied to the breast before the collection pad. This chaser fluid facilitates the discharge of breast fluid from the ducts onto the collection pad, enabling rapid and reliable fluid collection without requiring complex manual aspiration techniques, thus reducing time and cost
2Reliability
If trained medical workers are used to collect nipple aspirate fluid, then the quality of fluid collection is ensured, but accessibility and cost-effectiveness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The collection pad system is designed to be self-contained and user-friendly, with the chaser fluid automatically facilitating fluid discharge when applied to the breast. The pad's porous structure and negative pressure capabilities enable reliable fluid collection without requiring skilled medical intervention, allowing patients to perform self-collection or use it in low-resource settings while maintaining quality
Solution Approach 2:
The collection pad utilizes controlled negative pressure parameters to facilitate fluid discharge. By adjusting the suction level and application time, the system achieves reliable fluid collection comparable to medical professional techniques, but in a simplified format that can be used by untrained individuals, improving accessibility without sacrificing collection quality
3Device complexity
If manual collection methods are used, then the procedure remains simple, but the process is time-intensive and less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The collection pad incorporates a pneumatic suction system that automatically draws breast fluid from the ducts onto the pad through negative pressure. This mechanical assistance eliminates the need for time-consuming manual aspiration techniques, significantly improving collection efficiency and productivity while keeping the overall device relatively simple and easy to operate
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
Facilitates the collection and testing of breast fluid markers, providing a cost-effective, faster, and more specific method for assessing breast cancer risk, accessible without the need for trained personnel, with a high success rate in detecting cancer and pre-cancerous conditions.
Implementation Method 1
A composite collection pad is secured to a human breast and placed over the nipple of the breast. The pad may be used to collect normal fluid secretion into the pad through negative pressure applied by the collector pad
Implementation Method 2
U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,728 issued Jul. 4, 1978 discloses the use of polyvinyl acetal material having a fast wicking and high liquid holding capacity for medical usage
Data Source
AI summary
A breast fluid collection pad assembly comprising: a pad having a negative capillary pressure, a cover mounted on said foam pad, said cover being provided with an adhesive coating allowing it to be mounted to the skin of a patient holding said pad over a breast and fluid indication means positioned on said cover showing the capture of breast fluids by said foam pad, said covering being provided with a target symbol for aligning the center of said cover over a breast nipple when mounted to the breast.