Subcutaneous Conduit Insertion Device With Tactile Feedback Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current insulin infusion devices for diabetes management are painful, uncomfortable, and anxiety-inducing due to the need for needle insertion and lack of ease in deploying conduits under the skin, which can lead to improper insulin administration and complications.
Innovation Solution
A device that inserts flexible medical conduits into subcutaneous tissues without exposing a needle, featuring a lock and force control component providing tactile feedback and resistance to ensure full deployment, preventing re-use and minimizing discomfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional rigid needles are used to insert flexible cannulas, then the conduit can be deployed to deliver insulin, but the patient experiences pain, discomfort, and anxiety
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible cannula is nested within the insertion device housing, with the distal end positioned in a guide channel. The insertion device acts as a protective sheath that contains the cannula during storage and deployment, eliminating the need for separate needle components and reducing patient anxiety associated with exposed needles.
Solution Approach 2:
The insertion device serves as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the patient's skin. It provides a controlled deployment system with tactile feedback through a movable housing and latch mechanism, allowing the user to feel when the cannula is fully inserted, thereby reducing uncertainty and anxiety.
2Manufacturing precision
If the insertion device provides force control and locking components, then full conduit deployment is ensured, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion device employs a dynamic latch mechanism that transitions from an unlocked to a locked state during insertion. The movable housing and spring-loaded latch provide progressive force control, allowing the device to adapt to tissue resistance and ensure complete cannula deployment without requiring complex electronic controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates tactile feedback through the movable housing and latch mechanism. As the user pushes the insertion device against the skin, they can feel the resistance changes and the engagement of the latch, providing sensory feedback that confirms proper deployment without requiring visual confirmation or complex sensors.
3Reliability
If the device prevents re-use through locking components, then patient safety is improved, but the ease of operation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to prevent re-use by creating a mechanical barrier that cannot be easily reversed. The latch engages in a locked position that requires significant force to disengage, and the housing includes features that prevent re-opening, thereby ensuring the device is used only once and eliminating any possibility of contamination or improper re-use.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides an insertion device for insertion of conduits into a body that, before and following deployment of the conduit into the body, has no components that require insertion into or removal from the device. Additionally, the device includes a component that not only prevents re-use or reopening of the device once it is activated, but also provides feedback to the user in the form of a resistance force to activation that must be overcome by the user to deploy the conduit.