Self-Sampling Cervical Device with Retractable Bristles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cervical tissue sample devices require medical professionals for cell extraction, which can be embarrassing and painful, and may deter women from undergoing routine pap smears for cervical cancer and STD testing.
Innovation Solution
A cervical tissue sample device featuring a syringe with a plunger and bristles that extend from the barrel when depressed, protected by a shroud, allowing users to collect cervical tissue samples independently without medical intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a medical professional extracts cervical cells using traditional methods, then the tissue sample collection is reliable and accurate, but the process becomes embarrassing and painful for the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables women to perform their own cervical tissue sampling at home without medical professional intervention. The self-contained syringe with retractable bristles and protective shroud allows independent sample collection, eliminating the need for clinical visits and reducing patient embarrassment and discomfort while maintaining sample reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The device separates the sampling function into a standalone portable unit with distinct components (syringe, bristles, shroud) that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows the patient to perform the procedure privately at home while the modular design ensures proper sample collection mechanics are maintained
2Reliability
If traditional cervical sampling methods are used in a clinical setting, then proper tissue collection is ensured, but the procedure complexity and patient anxiety increase
Solution Approach 1:
The syringe device serves multiple functions: it protects the bristles during transport, deploys them for sampling, retracts them for containment, and seals the sample within the barrel. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate steps and instruments into a single universal device, reducing procedural complexity while ensuring reliable sample collection
Solution Approach 2:
The bristles are designed to dynamically change state between retracted (protected) and extended (sampling) positions. This dynamic mechanism allows the device to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, simplifying the user experience by automatically protecting the sampling elements until needed while ensuring they are properly positioned for accurate tissue collection
3Ease of operation
If bristles are exposed for tissue collection, then sampling capability is enabled, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective shroud is nested within the syringe barrel and surrounds the bristles during storage and transport. When the plunger is depressed, the shroud retracts to allow bristle exposure for sampling. After sampling, the shroud can be repositioned to encapsulate the bristles again, providing automatic contamination protection without interfering with the sampling function when needed
Data Source
AI summary
A cervical tissue sample device for extracting cells from the cervix. A cervical tissue sample device includes a plunger slidably disposed along a longitudinal axis within a barrel. The plunger has a first end with a seal thereon and a second end which includes a plunger flange. A plurality of bristles extends longitudinally from the seal of the plunger. The barrel has a first end with an opening thereon such that the plurality of bristles is exposed therethrough when the plunger is depressed. An outer shroud is disposed about a perimeter of the first end of the plunger and configured to encapsulate the plurality of bristles therein when the plurality of bristles is disposed within the barrel. In this way, a user is able to collect a cervical tissue sample without utilizing a medical professional to extract the cells from the cervix.