Intermittent Catheter Protective Sleeve Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing urinary catheter assemblies with protective sleeves are complex, costly, and difficult to use, especially for individuals with poor dexterity or impaired hand movement, and there is a need for a more intuitive and cost-efficient solution that reduces the risk of contamination and urinary tract infections.
Innovation Solution
An intermittent urinary catheter assembly featuring a compactable protective sleeve arrangement with releasably connected proximal and distal holder parts that can be easily expanded for use and reconnected, allowing for simple handling and reduced contamination risk, while being produced separately for cost-effective assembly with the catheter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective sleeve is provided to prevent contamination of the catheter, then contamination protection is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve is divided into a proximal holder part and a distal holder part that can be separated from each other. This segmentation allows the sleeve to be compact during storage and easy to apply, while still providing complete protection when assembled. The segmented design reduces the complexity of handling and application compared to a single large sleeve.
Solution Approach 2:
The compactable sleeve is arranged in a compacted storage configuration within the holder parts during storage. When the holder parts are connected, the sleeve is contained and protected within this nested structure. This nesting approach allows the protective function to be integrated without adding significant bulk or complexity to the storage form.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective sleeve is provided to prevent contamination, then contamination protection is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in handling and expanding the sleeve
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the protective sleeve into proximal and distal holder parts that can be easily connected and disconnected, the system becomes much easier to operate. Users can simply connect the holder parts to expand the protective sleeve, or disconnect them to compact it, without requiring complex manipulation skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sleeve transitions between a compacted storage configuration and an expanded protective configuration through the connection and disconnection of the holder parts. This dynamic design allows the system to adapt between compact and protective states, making it easy to deploy and store while maintaining protection when needed.
3Volume of moving object
If the protective sleeve is kept compacted during storage, then ease of storage is improved, but contamination protection is reduced if the sleeve is not expanded before use
Solution Approach 1:
The protective sleeve is designed to dynamically transition between compacted and expanded states based on whether the proximal and distal holder parts are connected. During storage, the holder parts are disconnected keeping the sleeve compact. Before use, the holder parts are connected to expand the sleeve and provide protection, ensuring both compact storage and effective protection are achieved at different times.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder parts are pre-configured to be easily connected before use, which automatically expands the protective sleeve into position. This preliminary preparation ensures that the protective function is activated in advance before the catheter is actually needed, maintaining both compact storage during transport and protection readiness when required.
Data Source
Figure 1~3c
Figure 4a~4g
Figure 5a~5d
AI summary
An intermittent urinary catheter assembly comprises a catheter (1) having a proximal insertion end and a distal end opposite to the proximal insertion end. The catheter has a lumen extending from a drainage opening at or near the proximal insertion end to a discharge opening at or near the distal end. Further, a protective sleeve (2) arrangement is provided, having a proximal holder part (22), a distal holder part (21) and a compactable sleeve (23) connected to the proximal holder part and the distal holder part. The compactable sleeve has a compacted storage configuration and is extendable into an expanded configuration. The distal holder part is connected to the catheter at or near the distal end, and the proximal holder part and the distal holder part are releasably connected to each other.