Tissue Contact Layer Through-Holes for Negative-Pressure Debridement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing negative-pressure therapy systems are hindered by debris such as necrotic tissue, foreign bodies, and biofilms, which prolong healing times and pose risks to patients, and current debridement methods are painful, time-consuming, and can cause further tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
A dressing system with a contact layer having through-holes and a sealing member forms a sealed space for negative-pressure application, inducing nodules to disrupt debris, combined with instillation therapy to soften and remove debris effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional debridement methods are used to remove debris, then debris removal is achieved, but patient pain increases and tissue damage worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical debridement methods (scalpels, forceps) with a pneumatic system that uses negative pressure to draw debris into through-holes of a contact layer. This substitution eliminates the need for direct mechanical contact and cutting, thereby reducing patient pain and tissue damage while maintaining debris removal effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The contact layer with through-holes serves as an intermediary between the negative pressure source and the tissue/debris. It facilitates debris removal by providing a controlled interface that draws debris into holes without requiring direct mechanical manipulation, thus reducing harmful effects on surrounding tissue
2Reliability
If traditional debridement methods are used to remove debris, then debris is removed, but treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pneumatic system with negative pressure enables parallel processing of debris removal across multiple through-holes simultaneously, whereas traditional mechanical debridement must be performed sequentially. This substitution significantly reduces the time required for effective debris removal
Solution Approach 2:
The contact layer is pre-positioned on the tissue site with through-holes aligned to debris locations before negative pressure is applied. This preliminary positioning ensures that debris is immediately drawn into holes when negative pressure starts, eliminating setup time during the debridement process
3Ease of operation
If negative-pressure therapy is applied without a contact layer, then negative pressure can be applied to tissue, but debris disruption is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The contact layer introduces localized structural features (through-holes) at specific locations where debris is present. These through-holes concentrate the negative pressure effect locally, creating focused disruption zones that enhance debris removal effectiveness without compromising the overall ease of negative pressure application
Solution Approach 2:
The contact layer segments the negative pressure field into multiple localized zones through the through-holes. Each through-hole creates a focused pressure gradient that independently draws debris into it, improving overall debris disruption effectiveness while maintaining simple system operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system accelerates healing by efficiently disrupting and removing debris, reducing healing times and minimizing tissue damage, while being less invasive than traditional debridement methods.
Implementation Method 1
The negative-pressure source may supply negative pressure to the sealed space and the contact layer to draw tissue into the through-holes to form nodules
Implementation Method 2
The negative pressure may be vented from the sealed space to release the nodules
Data Source
Figure 1~1A
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A method and apparatus for disrupting material at a tissue site is described. A contact layer (110) may be selected for use on the tissue site and positioned adjacent to the tissue site. The contact layer may include walls defining a plurality of through-holes (140). A sealing member may be positioned over the contact layer and sealed to tissue surrounding the tissue site to form a sealed space enclosing the contact layer. A negative-pressure source (104) may be fluidly coupled to the sealed space. The negative-pressure source may supply negative pressure to the sealed space and the contact layer to draw tissue into the through-holes to form nodules. The negative pressure may be vented from the sealed space to release the nodules.