Catheter Support Mechanism for Buckling-Free PIV Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid transfer devices for phlebotomy through peripheral intravenous lines face issues such as catheter buckling, kinking, and deformation during deployment, leading to inefficient blood extraction and increased patient discomfort and costs.
Innovation Solution
A fluid transfer device with a catheter support mechanism that includes an introducer, actuator, and catheter support, allowing the catheter to be moved between positions to prevent buckling and kinking, featuring a tether and hub system to maintain catheter stability and facilitate smooth advancement through the PIV.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a fluid transfer device inserts a catheter into a PIV, then blood extraction efficiency is improved, but the catheter is subject to column load causing bending, kinking, and deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple segments with different properties: a stiff distal portion for stable insertion, a flexible intermediate portion for navigating the S-curve, and a compliant proximal portion for connection. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function without compromising overall catheter integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the catheter are given different mechanical properties tailored to their specific functions. The distal portion has higher stiffness to resist buckling under column load, while the proximal portion has lower stiffness for flexibility. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between needing structural stability and operational flexibility.
2Strength
If the catheter is made stiffer to prevent buckling, then resistance to deformation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire catheter uniformly stiff, only the distal portion that requires buckling resistance is made stiffer. The proximal portion remains flexible for ease of manipulation and connection. This localized application of stiffness reduces overall device complexity while maintaining necessary structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter employs composite construction with different materials or material combinations in different sections. The distal portion uses stiffer material to resist buckling, while the proximal portion uses more flexible material. This composite approach achieves the required strength without uniformly increasing device complexity throughout the entire catheter.
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid transfer device including a catheter, an introducer adapted to attach the device to a peripheral intravenous line (PIV), an actuator movably coupled to the introducer, and a catheter support movably coupled to the introducer. The catheter support is positioned between the actuator and the distal end of the introducer. The actuator moves the catheter between a first position disposed within the introducer and a second position where the end of the catheter extends beyond the end of the introducer and into the PIV. The catheter support includes a rigid or collapsible tether and a hub attached to the tether and defining a passageway. The catheter extends from the actuator through the passageway of the catheter support to the distal end of the introducer. As the actuator moves the catheter, the actuator contacts the catheter support and moves the catheter support with respect to the introducer.