Contoured Cooling Cup Applicator for Selective Adipose Tissue Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional non-invasive treatments for reducing adipose tissue are often ineffective, particularly for localized regions, and can cause collateral damage due to limited cooling capabilities and risk of bruising from vacuum-induced blood vessel rupture.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive treatment system with a contoured applicator featuring a temperature-controlled cooling cup that creates a vacuum seal to draw tissue into a conductive surface, allowing for efficient heat transfer and selective cooling of subcutaneous lipid-rich cells without damaging non-lipid-rich cells, using a disposable liner assembly to prevent cross-contamination and enhance patient comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional non-invasive treatments are used to reduce adipose tissue, then treatment coverage is provided, but effectiveness for localized regions is poor and collateral damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling cup applicator is designed with a contoured shape that conforms to specific body regions, enabling localized treatment of adipose tissue while protecting surrounding healthy tissue. The contoured head creates a vacuum seal that draws only the targeted tissue into contact with the cooling surface, ensuring selective cooling of lipid-rich cells without affecting non-lipid-rich cells in adjacent areas.
Solution Approach 2:
A disposable liner assembly is introduced as an intermediary between the cooling cup and the patient's skin. This liner enhances thermal contact efficiency while preventing cross-contamination and protecting the skin from direct contact with the cooling surface, thereby reducing collateral damage while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
2Temperature
If vacuum is applied to draw tissue into cooling surface, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but blood vessel rupture and bruising occur
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable liner assembly acts as a flexible thin film that conforms to the cooling cup surface and the patient's skin. This flexible barrier allows for effective thermal contact and vacuum sealing while protecting blood vessels from the mechanical stress that would cause rupture and bruising.
Solution Approach 2:
The liner assembly serves as a protective intermediary between the vacuum mechanism and the patient's tissue. It maintains the vacuum seal necessary for efficient heat transfer while distributing the mechanical stress uniformly, preventing blood vessel rupture and subsequent bruising.
3Reliability
If contoured head with vacuum seal is used, then selective cooling of lipid-rich cells is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The applicator is segmented into modular components: a reusable cooling cup base and a disposable contoured head with liner assembly. This segmentation allows the complex contoured geometry and vacuum sealing features to be contained in the disposable portion, simplifying the reusable portion and enabling selective cooling capability without permanently increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The contoured head with liner assembly is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after a single use. This allows for complex geometry and precise vacuum sealing features in the contoured head without permanently increasing device complexity, as the reusable portion remains simple and the complex features are contained in the inexpensive disposable element.
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 effectively reduces adipose tissue with minimal collateral damage, providing a cosmetically beneficial alteration by inducing apoptosis in lipid-rich cells while maintaining the integrity of non-lipid-rich cells, and allows for rapid re-warming to prevent tissue damage.
Implementation Method 1
creates a vacuum seal to draw tissue into a conductive surface
Implementation Method 2
allowing for efficient heat transfer and selective cooling of subcutaneous lipid-rich cells
Implementation Method 3
HOME-USE APPLICATORS FOR NON-INVASIVELY REMOVING HEAT FROM SUBCUTANEOUS LIPID-RICH CELLS VIA PHASE CHANGE COOLANTS
Data Source
AI summary
Systems for treating a subject's tissue can include a thermally conductive cup, a sealing member, and/or a liner assembly. The systems can include an applicator capable of being reconfigured for a particular treatment site. Components of the applicator can be replaced to achieve a desired configuration. The replaceable components can include contoured heads, liners, and/or sensors. The applicator can draw a vacuum to install various components and/or draw tissue into the applicator. The applicator can cool and/or heat the tissue to affect targeted tissue.