Disposable Pad Pocket Structure for Bed-Edge Fluid Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloths or pads used in healthcare settings fail to prevent fluids from moving along their surfaces and over the edges of beds, posing a safety risk to healthcare workers and creating hygiene issues due to fluid spillage.
Innovation Solution
A disposable pad with a pocketed design, featuring absorbent and waterproof layers, where one portion extends over the bed edge to capture and contain fluids within a pocket, preventing spillage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a simple absorbent pad is used, then the pad can absorb fluids from the patient, but fluid can travel along the pad surface and spill over the bed edge
Solution Approach 1:
The pad is divided into distinct functional zones: an absorbent body for fluid uptake and a separate pocket structure with containment walls for trapping excess fluid. This segmentation prevents fluid from traveling across the entire pad surface by confining it within the pocket boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket structure acts as an intermediary containment mechanism between the absorbent pad and the bed edge. It intercepts and traps fluid before it can reach the bed edge, serving as a protective barrier that eliminates direct fluid contact with the healthcare worker or floor.
2Reliability
If the pad is positioned under the patient to capture fluids, then fluid absorption is effective, but fluid can be forced laterally toward the bed end when the patient moves
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket structure is pre-positioned at the distal end of the pad to provide preliminary containment. When fluid is forced laterally by patient movement, the pocket walls immediately intercept and trap the fluid, preventing it from traveling further toward the bed edge before the situation can escalate.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional flat pad surface to a three-dimensional pocket structure with vertical containment walls. This dimensional change creates a enclosed space that traps fluid in the vertical dimension, preventing lateral spread across the pad surface.
3Quantity of substance
If a saturated pad is used, then initial fluid absorption is achieved, but fluid can travel across the bed and onto the healthcare worker or floor
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket structure extracts and isolates excess fluid from the main absorbent pad surface. By separating the containment function into a distinct pocket structure, the system prevents saturated fluid from continuing to travel across the pad and reaching the bed edge or healthcare worker.
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
Effectively contains fluids within the pocket, reducing the risk of spillage onto healthcare workers and the floor by redirecting and absorbing excess fluid, enhancing safety and hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
The apparatus includes a first portion and a second portion, each comprising an absorbent layer and a waterproof layer
Implementation Method 2
The pocket can receive excess fluids from the first portion or the second portion and can prevent the excess fluids from contacting the healthcare worker or the floor
Data Source
AI summary
A pad, such as a disposable pad, has a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is formed into a pocket and is movable with respect to the first portion. The first portion can have various arrangements of layers, including absorbent and waterproof layers. An interior of the pocket can be at least partially surrounded by a waterproof layer to hold fluid therein. Adhesive portions can optionally be provided on a bottom side of the first portion for removably securing the first portion to a surface, such as a hospital bed, table or other surface. A supporting member can be positioned between the first portion and the second portion to aid in maintaining the pocket in an open position.