Catheter Tray Packaging with Segmented Foam Insert
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging for flexible medical devices like catheters is inadequate, as it often leads to damage during shipment and storage, and occupies excessive space, making it difficult to deploy and use efficiently during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A tray designed to accommodate coiled medical devices, including catheters, fluid bags, syringes, and specimen jars, with compartments that provide physical protection, organized storage, and multi-purpose functionality, such as a lubricant applicator, to facilitate easier use and reduce the risk of contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional individual packaging with card and plastic wrap is used, then the catheter is protected during shipping, but the packaging provides little physical protection and is prone to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The packaging is divided into multiple functional components: a rigid tray for structural support, a foam insert for cushioning and positioning, and a sterile drape for contamination protection. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in providing specific types of protection, collectively enhancing both physical strength and damage resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging system combines multiple materials with different properties: rigid plastic for the tray, flexible foam for cushioning, and sterile drape material for contamination barriers. This composite approach leverages the strengths of each material to provide comprehensive protection that neither material could achieve alone.
2Adaptability or versatility
If universal trays with contoured loops are used to accommodate various catheter sizes, then one tray can hold multiple catheter types, but large amounts of storage space are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The foam insert contains localized recesses and contours specifically shaped to accommodate different catheter sizes and configurations. This local customization within the universal tray allows the packaging to adapt to various catheter types without requiring the entire tray structure to be oversized, optimizing space efficiency while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is nested within the foam insert, which is in turn nested within the tray, and the entire assembly is wrapped in a sterile drape. This nested structure allows compact packaging that minimizes storage volume while still accommodating different catheter sizes through the flexible foam's ability to conform to various shapes.
3Adaptability or versatility
If universal trays are used for catheter packaging, then the trays can accommodate different catheter sizes, but the trays occupy large amounts of sterile workspace during procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is extracted from the bulky universal tray packaging during the procedure. The tray serves only its packaging function during shipping and storage, then is discarded or set aside, allowing the catheter to be used without occupying workspace. This separates the packaging's protective function from the procedural workspace requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The packaging transitions from a static, space-consuming tray structure during shipping to a minimal footprint during use. The foam insert and drape are removed or collapsed, allowing the catheter to be deployed without the bulk of the original packaging occupying sterile workspace.
4Reliability
If conventional sterile packaging is used, then the catheter is shipped in sterile condition, but the packaging is difficult to open and deploy
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile drape is pre-positioned to envelop the entire catheter and packaging assembly during manufacturing. This preliminary sterile barrier remains intact during shipping and can be simply opened at the point of use, maintaining sterility throughout the supply chain while enabling easy deployment when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The sterile drape acts as an intermediary barrier that maintains sterility during shipping but can be easily removed or opened at the point of use. This intermediary layer protects the catheter without interfering with the deployment process, as it can be simply peeled or cut away to reveal the catheter ready for use.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray (100) for accommodating a coiled medical device, such as a catheter assembly (700), includes a first compartment (101), a second compartment (102), and a third compartment (103). The catheter assembly (700) and devices associated with a catheterization procedure, such as syringes (701,702) containing sterile water and lubricating jelly and a specimen container (703) can be disposed within the tray. Printed instructions (1001) can be included with the tray (100). When a CSR wrap (1000) is disposed about the tray (100), the printed instructions can be placed atop the CSR wrap (1000) but beneath an outer sterile wrap (1002). The printed instructions (1001) can include a patient portion (1202) that is detachably coupled to a health care services portion (1201) such that it can be taken home with the patient after the procedure.