Catheter Breakaway Connector for Controlled Tubing Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical tubing, such as urinary catheters, often cause pain and trauma to patients when pulled prematurely, as existing solutions do not effectively prevent accidental disconnection.
Innovation Solution
A medical tubing breakaway device is inserted into the urine lumen of a cut urinary catheter, keeping the balloon inflated and allowing urine to flow normally. The device disconnects at a specific pull-force, preventing trauma to the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If medical tubing is made secure to prevent disconnection, then reliability is improved, but trauma to patient worsens when premature removal is attempted
Solution Approach 1:
The medical tubing is divided into two separable segments: a permanent internal portion that remains in the patient's body and a removable external portion that can be safely detached. The breakaway device creates a controlled separation point between these segments, allowing the external tubing to be removed without pulling on the internal catheter, thus preventing patient trauma while maintaining connection security during normal use.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakaway device acts as an intermediary component between the internal and external tubing portions. It includes a release mechanism that mediates the force transmission between the two segments, allowing controlled separation when premature removal is attempted while maintaining secure connection during proper use.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If breakaway mechanism is added to prevent trauma, then patient safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex release mechanism is extracted and placed entirely within the breakaway device component, separate from both the internal catheter and external tubing. This isolation contains the complexity within a single replaceable unit while keeping the overall system simple and modular.
Solution Approach 2:
The breakaway device is designed as a disposable component that is installed once and then discarded after the external tubing is removed. This allows the use of a relatively complex mechanism in a single-use application, eliminating the need for complex reusable mechanisms that would require maintenance and sterilization.
3Reliability
If tubing is secured firmly to prevent accidental disconnection, then connection reliability is improved, but ease of operation worsens when removal is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The connection mechanism transitions from a static secure connection to a dynamic system with two distinct states: a secure locked state during normal use and a release state when removal is needed. The breakaway device includes a release mechanism that can be activated to transition from the secure state to the separated state, providing both connection reliability and ease of removal.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a device comprising a first connector including a first elongated hollow member configured to be positioned at least partially within a lumen of a proximal portion of a tube. The first connector provides a clamping force to the proximal portion of the tube. The device also includes a second connector configured to be removably coupled to the first connector. The second connector including a second elongated hollow member configured to be positioned at least partially within a lumen of a distal portion of the tube. The proximal portion of the tube is separated from the distal portion of the tube when the first connector is disconnected from the second connector, and the lumen of the proximal portion of the tube is fluidically connected with the lumen of the distal portion of the tube when the first connector is removably coupled to the second connector.