Catheter Fixation Structure With Guide Recess to Prevent Kinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheter fixation devices fail to adequately secure the catheter tip and tube, leading to potential kinking and discomfort for the patient, and do not effectively adapt to varying catheter lengths.
Innovation Solution
A fixation device with a base body, fixation element, and guide recess that secures the catheter tip and prevents kinking by guiding the catheter tube between opposing guide walls, allowing adjustable length adaptation through cuttable markings, and features a stop element to prevent proximal movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the catheter tube is left outside the patient after insertion, then the catheter base can be connected to fluid-carrying components, but the catheter tube may kink or bend causing impaired fluid flow and patient discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The guide recess acts as an intermediary structure between the catheter base and the external environment. It provides a protected pathway for the catheter tube section, preventing kinking while allowing the tube to extend outward for connection to fluid-carrying components. The guide walls form a protective corridor that maintains tube integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide recess extends in the longitudinal direction (another dimension) to provide sufficient guidance length. By creating a three-dimensional structure with length, width, and depth, the invention ensures the catheter tube is guided along its entire exposed length, preventing kinking at any point outside the patient's body.
2Device complexity
If existing fixation devices only secure the catheter base or filter, then the fixation structure is simple, but the catheter tube remains unprotected and may kink or slip
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device is segmented into distinct functional zones: the catheter base fixation area, the guide recess for tube protection, and the stop element for positioning. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function effectively while maintaining overall structural integrity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide recess serves multiple functions simultaneously: it protects the catheter tube from kinking, provides structural support, defines the free catheter length, and works together with the stop element and fixation base to ensure overall catheter security. This multi-functionality increases reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide recess is made longer to prevent kinking, then catheter protection is improved, but the device size increases and may not adapt to varying catheter lengths
Solution Approach 1:
The guide recess length is made adjustable rather than fixed. The base body can be cut at predetermined cutting points to adapt the guide recess length to the specific catheter tube length required. This dynamic adaptability ensures optimal protection without excessive length, accommodating different clinical scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The base body includes predetermined cutting points that segment the structure into modular sections. This allows the guide recess length to be customized by removing unnecessary sections, ensuring the final device length matches the specific catheter tube length needed for each patient and application.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a fixation device for fixing a catheter to the skin of a patient, comprising a base body with a proximodistal longitudinal axis, a mediolateral transverse axis and an anteroposterior vertical axis, and a posterior underside designed for placement on the skin, a fixation element arranged on the base body which is designed for positive and/or force-fit fixation of a catheter tip of the catheter and by means of which the catheter tip can be fixed relative to the base body, and a guide recess arranged distal to the fixation element on the base body and extending proximodistalally over a guide length with mutually opposing mediolateral guide walls.wherein the guide recess is designed to receive a longitudinally extended catheter tube section of the catheter attached distally to the catheter insertion, and wherein the catheter tube section can be guided between the guide walls over the guide length and is thus protected against mediolateral kinking.