Catheter Introducer with Angled Surface for Buckling Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Catheters, particularly soft and flexible thoracic drainage catheters, tend to buckle when inserted through body openings, making it difficult to maintain proper positioning without an open chest environment.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with an arm and angled surface is used to extend into the body opening, engaging the catheter and applying tension to prevent buckling, featuring a stiff material like medical grade nylon to provide stability and guidance during insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a soft and flexible catheter is used to conform to internal structures, then the catheter can adapt to body anatomy, but the catheter tends to buckle when pushed through body openings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an introducer apparatus as an intermediary device that temporarily supports the soft catheter during insertion. The introducer has a rigid structure that provides internal support to the flexible catheter, preventing buckling while allowing the catheter to maintain its flexibility for conforming to body anatomy. Once the catheter is positioned, the introducer is removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by using the introducer apparatus to pre-establish support and stability for the catheter before the catheter itself can provide structural support. The introducer is inserted first to create a stable pathway and support structure, then the catheter is positioned within this framework before the introducer is removed.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid structure is used to prevent catheter buckling, then catheter stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device into two distinct functional components: the introducer apparatus and the catheter. The introducer provides rigid structural support during insertion, while the catheter provides the flexible, adaptive function. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other, reducing overall device complexity compared to a single hybrid structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The introducer acts as a temporary intermediary that provides the needed rigidity during insertion but is not part of the final catheter system. This intermediary approach allows the catheter to remain simple and flexible while the introducer handles the complexity of providing structural support during the insertion process.
3Ease of operation
If the catheter is inserted without an open chest environment, then the procedure can be performed in standard operating conditions, but positioning precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The introducer apparatus serves as a mediator that compensates for the limitations of inserting without an open chest. It provides a stable, rigid framework that guides the catheter through the body opening and maintains positioning accuracy, allowing the procedure to be performed in standard operating conditions while achieving precise catheter placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The introducer is inserted and positioned first to establish a precise pathway and support structure before the catheter is positioned. This preliminary action creates an accurate reference framework that ensures the catheter reaches the correct position even without the benefit of an open chest environment for direct visualization.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is provided for introducing a catheter through a body opening along an insertion axis. The apparatus includes an arm having an end portion configured to extend into the body opening along the insertion axis, wherein the arm is configured to extend adjacent an external catheter surface. The apparatus also includes a surface extending from the end portion of the arm at an angle to the insertion axis, wherein the surface is configured to extend at least partially within an aperture formed in the catheter.