Cannulation Assembly Needle Locking and Spherical Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for extracting umbilical cord blood are limited in volume and prone to leakage, with existing technologies not efficiently maximizing blood collection and risking cross-contamination due to multiple uses of the collection apparatus.
Innovation Solution
A cannulation assembly with a selectively extendable and lockable needle and a clamp system that maximizes blood extraction volume by forming an annular seal and preventing needle reuse, featuring a spherical tip for efficient insertion and a bevelled needle design for reduced penetration force and precise insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a needle is used for blood extraction, then the bore size can be increased to maximize blood collection volume, but the risk of leakage and cross-contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is inserted through the needle bore, with the needle serving as a protective sheath during insertion. After insertion, the needle is retracted into the housing while the tube remains in place, nesting the tube within the needle's protective envelope during the critical insertion phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The needle is selectively extended from the housing for insertion, then retracted into the housing after insertion is complete. This extraction of the needle from the blood collection pathway after use eliminates the leakage and cross-contamination risks associated with leaving the needle in place.
2Reliability
If the needle is made selectively extendable and lockable, then cross-contamination is prevented through single-use locking, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to prevent reuse of the needle after a single blood collection event. The slide locks the needle in its retracted position after use, effectively creating a disposable single-use system that prevents cross-contamination without requiring complex reusable sterilization mechanisms.
3Reliability
If the spherical insertion end is used to form an annular seal, then blood leakage is prevented, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion end of the tube is formed with a spherical tip that matches the cylindrical bore of the needle. This spherical geometry naturally conforms to the circular cross-section of the needle, creating an annular seal through the radial gap between the spherical surface and the needle wall, which is more tolerant to manufacturing variations than flat-seal designs.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A cannulation assembly comprising: a housing; a needle selectively extendable from a proximal end of said housing; a tube arranged to pass through the housing and through a bore of said needle such that an insertion end of said tube is arranged to selectively project from an insertion end of said needle; a slide mounted to the needle in sliding engagement with the housing and arranged to move the needle from a retracted position to an insertion position such that the needle projects from said housing; wherein said slide is further arranged to move the needle from the insertion position to a locked position such that the needle is fully retracted.