Bubble Entrapment Device with Central Outlet Port
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for preventing air bubbles from entering a patient's bloodstream during intravenous fluid administration are either intrusive, unreliable, or time-consuming, posing risks of gas embolism.
Innovation Solution
A bubble entrapment device with a chamber system where the outlet port is strategically located within the chamber volume to trap bubbles, allowing for efficient bubble entrapment and featuring a valve for switching between venting and use modes, ensuring bubbles are prevented from passing through.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nurses tap the tube and bag to cause bubbles to rise to the surface, then bubbles can be removed, but this method is unreliable and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary bubble entrapment by positioning the outlet port within the chamber volume before fluid administration begins. This creates a pre-configured trap that automatically captures bubbles as they form or enter the chamber, eliminating the need for manual tapping operations after the system is set up.
Solution Approach 2:
The chamber structure with its specific outlet port positioning enables self-service bubble entrapment. Bubbles automatically rise and become trapped in the chamber due to their buoyancy and the geometric configuration of the outlet port, without requiring external manual intervention or additional energy input.
2Reliability
If filters or membrane structures are used to remove bubbles, then bubble removal can be achieved, but the construction becomes complex and intrusive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the bubble entrapment function from complex filter assemblies and membrane structures, achieving bubble removal through a simple geometric configuration of a chamber with a strategically positioned outlet port. This eliminates the need for intrusive filtering components while maintaining effective bubble entrapment.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet port is positioned at a specific location within the chamber volume (not at the center or on the wall, but at an optimized position) to create local conditions that favor bubble entrapment. This localized geometric feature provides the necessary bubble trapping capability without requiring complex structures throughout the entire device.
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 device effectively prevents bubbles from reaching the patient, reducing the risk of air embolism, is simple in construction, and operates effectively in various orientations, making it suitable for medical applications like infusion systems.
Implementation Method 1
providing in use a space for entrapment of bubbles within the chamber above the chamber outlet port
Data Source
AI summary
A bubble entrapment device includes at least one entrapment chamber between an inlet and an outlet. The chamber outlet port is approximately in the center, and so bubbles will rise in the chamber into a space above the chamber outlet port.