Two-Piece Catheter Securement System for Immobilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current catheter securement methods, such as surgical tape and complex mechanical devices, are ineffective in permanently securing catheters, leading to premature failure due to movement, irritation, and resource wastage, especially with silicone-based PICCs where adhesives fail to anchor properly.
Innovation Solution
A two-piece securement system comprising a lower fixation pad with upwardly depending attachment studs and an upper capture and retention shell with stud-receiving sockets, allowing for snap-fastener engagement to immobilize catheters without direct contact with the hub or wings, enabling reuse and preventing lateral or longitudinal movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical tape is used to hold the catheter hub or tubing to the patient's skin, then the catheter can be temporarily secured, but the method is ineffective to permanently anchor the catheter and prevent catheter movement
Solution Approach 1:
The securement device is divided into two separate pieces: a base member with adhesive that attaches to the patient's skin, and a cover member that captures the catheter hub. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally - the adhesive base provides strong skin attachment while the cover member provides mechanical capture of the hub, together achieving reliable permanent securement.
2Reliability
If a catheter dressing with pressure sensitive adhesives is used to secure a silicone PICC, then the catheter can be protected, but adhesives do not fully anchor or grip to silicone substrates due to low surface energy
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the adhesive function (base member attached to skin) from the catheter capture function (cover member capturing hub), the device eliminates the problem of adhesive incompatibility with silicone. The adhesive only contacts skin where it works effectively, while the cover member provides mechanical capture of the catheter hub regardless of material.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover member acts as an intermediary between the adhesive base and the catheter hub. Instead of relying on adhesive to grip the silicone hub directly, the cover member mechanically captures the hub while the adhesive base secures the entire assembly to the skin, solving the low surface energy problem.
3Reliability
If complex mechanical arrangements of parts are used to secure the catheter hub and hub wings, then the catheter can be mechanically restrained, but the devices are integral units which include a cover attached or hinged to a base, but not separable
Solution Approach 1:
The device is designed as two separable pieces (base member and cover member) rather than an integral unit. This segmentation simplifies the structure while maintaining mechanical restraint effectiveness - the base provides adhesive attachment and the cover provides hub capture, with simple attachment between them.
Solution Approach 2:
Each part of the device has a specific localized function: the base member handles adhesive attachment to skin, the cover member handles mechanical capture of the hub, and the attachment mechanism handles connection between parts. This division of local functions reduces overall structural complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
4Reliability
If the catheter hub or tubing is held to the patient's skin, then the catheter can be secured, but inadvertent movement of the catheter while inserted in a vein causes scraping and poking of the inner wall of the vein, thereby irritating the vein
Solution Approach 1:
By capturing the catheter hub within the cover member and securing it to the skin via the adhesive base, the device creates a stable anchor point that prevents hub movement. This eliminates the source of vein irritation (catheter movement) while maintaining reliable immobilization of the catheter in the vein.
Data Source
AI summary
A two-piece catheter securement system has a fixation pad with an adhesive undersurface and an antimicrobial flap. On an upper surface of the pad are cooperative first attachment members. An upper capture and retention shell has an outer shell wall. The first and second ends of the shell may have a plurality of slots for capturing and retaining administration and catheter tubing. The shell has an inner shell ceiling having a plurality of spaced apart second attachment members thereon. The first and second attachment members are aligned to cooperatively engage when the shell is urged into releasable engagement with the pad with the slots capturing and retaining the tubes.