Collapsible Protective Sleeve for Infection-Resistant Injection Needles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Injections, particularly intraocular injections, face challenges in preventing infection due to needle contamination, and existing devices lack features for minimizing force, discomfort, and visualization during the injection process.
Innovation Solution
A device with a collapsible sleeve surrounding the needle that requires less than 100 gram-force to collapse, made from transparent materials with optional color pigments for visualization, and potentially treated with antibacterial agents, to reduce contamination and patient discomfort during injections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a needle is used without a protective sleeve, then the injection force is reduced, but the risk of needle contamination and infection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin, flexible collapsible sleeve made of material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or silicone that can be easily compressed. This flexible shell covers the needle during storage and handling, protecting it from contamination, and collapses during injection to minimize force requirements while maintaining infection prevention benefits
2Reliability
If a thick protective sleeve is used, then the needle is well protected from contamination, but the force required to collapse the sleeve increases and patient discomfort increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is designed as a thin film structure with wall thickness of 0.001 to 0.01 inches, providing adequate contamination protection while remaining thin enough to collapse with minimal force, thereby reducing patient discomfort during injection
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve material and thickness parameters are optimized to achieve the right balance: thin enough to collapse easily (reducing force and discomfort) but thick enough to provide adequate contamination protection during storage and handling
3Reliability
If an opaque protective sleeve is used, then the needle is well protected, but visualization of the needle during injection is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve is made from transparent or translucent materials that allow the medical professional to visualize the needle and injection site while maintaining protective functionality, eliminating the need for opaque materials
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve may incorporate color pigments or transparency variations to enhance visibility of the needle and injection progress, allowing better visualization while maintaining protection and using minimal material thickness
4Reliability
If a rigid protective device is used, then the needle is securely protected, but the device complexity increases and ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible collapsible sleeve eliminates the need for complex rigid protective devices with multiple components, mechanisms, and activation steps. The simple sleeve design requires no additional assistance devices or complex operations, yet provides secure protection during storage and handling
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods for performing injections with lowered likelihood of infection include needles and other injection means with protective sleeves or sheaths. The protective sleeve can protect the needle before, during, or before and during an injection. The force needed to administer an injection or penetrate an insertion site using an injection device or system with a protective sleeve can be about the same to up to 50% more than the force needed for a system or device without a protective sleeve. The force needed to collapse the protective sleeve can be less than 100 gram-force. The material, the thickness, or both the material and the thickness of the protective sleeve may differ when comparing the portion of the sleeve near the needle tip and the portion near the base of the needle.