Chest Tube Insertion Device With Tapered Pneumostatic Clamp
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current chest tube insertion methods face challenges due to limited space between ribs and thick adipose tissue, leading to difficulties in guiding the tube accurately and a high complication rate, including malposition and perforation, with no effective method for repositioning existing tubes without risking infection.
Innovation Solution
A chest tube insertion device with a sheath body and tapered pneumostatic tube clamp, featuring radial inward clamp tabs and grooves for easy separation, allows for precise placement and repositioning of chest tubes, providing pneumostasis and maintaining tube position during suction, and can be removed without disturbing the chest tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the standard technique is used to insert chest tubes through the intercostal space, then the tube can be inserted into the pleural space, but the limited space between ribs and thick adipose tissue make guidance difficult and increase complication rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide catheter as an intermediary device that facilitates chest tube insertion through the intercostal space. The guide catheter provides a controlled pathway through the limited space between ribs and thick adipose tissue, enabling accurate tube guidance while reducing tissue trauma and complication rates. The catheter acts as a mediator between the operator and the target pleural space, improving both ease of operation and reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the chest tube is inserted using the standard technique, then the tube can reach the pleural space, but the operator has very little control of the tube once it passes between the ribs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by first inserting a guide catheter through the intercostal space into the pleural cavity before advancing the chest tube. This preliminary placement of the catheter establishes a controlled trajectory and provides ongoing support and direction to the chest tube as it is advanced, ensuring precise tube placement while maintaining operator control throughout the procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide catheter serves as an intermediary that maintains control over the chest tube during insertion. The catheter's presence within the intercostal space and pleural cavity provides a stabilizing framework that prevents uncontrolled tube movement, enabling the operator to precisely position the tube tip in the desired location within the pleural space.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a chest tube is found to be malfunctioning or malpositioned after insertion, then it must be removed and a new tube placed via a new insertion site, but current standard of care does not allow for repositioning due to high risk of infection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the insertion and repositioning procedure into distinct phases: first, the guide catheter is inserted through the original site; second, the catheter is advanced to the new desired position within the pleural space; third, the chest tube is repositioned through the already-established catheter pathway. This segmentation allows repositioning through an existing tract, minimizing the need for new insertion sites and reducing infection risk while providing adaptability for corrective maneuvers.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of chest tube insertion include using an insertion device including a semi-rigid curvilinear sheath body having a distal end and a proximal end, a lumen defined axially through the sheath body from the distal end to the proximal end, the lumen including a distal end opening at the distal end and a proximal end opening at the proximal end, and a tapered tube clamp at the distal end of the sheath body, the tube clamp including one or more clamp tabs angled radially inward toward the distal end opening. The chest tube insertion device is supported during insertion into the chest cavity by a stylet. The chest tube insertion device is also removable from a chest tube when a free end of the chest tube is positioned in the chest cavity of a patient while suction is maintained.