Catheter Connector Support for Stable PIVC Insertion Angle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maintaining proper placement and stability of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) within blood vessels is challenging due to patient movement and external forces, which can cause tip displacement and disrupt fluid infusion or blood withdrawal.
Innovation Solution
A catheter system with a connector support device, such as an H-shaped stabilizer, that maintains the connector at an insertion angle and provides a straight pathway for instruments, featuring stabilization features like grooves, protrusions, and a ring to secure the connector and prevent rocking, and may be pre-attached to facilitate easy assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the catheter is inserted at a shallow insertion angle through the skin into vasculature, then proper placement in the blood vessel is achieved, but the connector becomes unstable and prone to displacement due to patient movement and external forces
Solution Approach 1:
The connector support device acts as an intermediary element between the connector and the patient's body. It provides a stable interface that maintains the connector at the correct insertion angle while absorbing external forces and patient movements, preventing direct transmission of these forces to the catheter tip and thereby maintaining proper catheter placement in the blood vessel
Solution Approach 2:
The support device extends the connector in a direction perpendicular to the skin surface, creating a new spatial dimension for stability. This extension allows the connector to be positioned away from the insertion site while maintaining the correct angle, providing a leverage point that prevents displacement without affecting the catheter's position in the vasculature
2Stability of the object's composition
If the connector is stabilized with a support device, then displacement is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is segmented into distinct functional components: the catheter assembly, the connector, and the support device. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the support device can be designed specifically for stabilization without complicating the catheter or connector designs, and can be easily attached or removed as needed
Solution Approach 2:
The support device is designed as a disposable, single-use component that is inexpensive to manufacture. This allows for a more complex overall system design since the support device can be discarded after one use, eliminating the need for complex sterilization and reusability features that would increase the complexity of reusable components
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter system may include a catheter adapter, which may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending through the distal end and the proximal end. The catheter system may include a connector coupled to the proximal end of the catheter adapter. The connector may include a T-connector. The catheter system may include a connector support device, which may be wedge-shaped to support the connector at an insertion angle.