Distal Tip Protector for Medical Instrument Decontamination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Complex medical instruments with intricate distal ends pose challenges in achieving adequate decontamination due to their design and the potential for contaminants like blood and tissue to dry and adhere, making them difficult to remove during reprocessing, especially when there are delays between use and processing.

Innovation Solution

A distal tip protector is applied to maintain fluid around the distal tip of medical instruments, keeping it moist and facilitating easier decontamination by preventing contaminants from drying and adhering, while also protecting the delicate mechanisms during transport and storage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If medical instruments are not reprocessed immediately after use, then transport and storage time is reduced, but contaminants dry and adhere to the instrument, making decontamination more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetime to reprocess instrumentVSAvoidcontaminant adhesion

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The distal tip protector is applied to the instrument immediately after use, before reprocessing can occur. This preliminary action maintains a moist environment at the distal tip during transport and storage, preventing contaminants from drying and adhering to the instrument surfaces, thereby facilitating easier decontamination later.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The distal tip protector acts as an intermediary device between the instrument and the environment during transport and storage. It contains fluid that serves as a mediator to keep the distal tip moist, creating a protective barrier that prevents direct contact between dried contaminants and the instrument surfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If distal tip protector is applied to maintain fluid, then decontamination efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecontamination efficiencyVSAvoidinstrument configuration

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The distal tip protector is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently applied to the distal tip of the instrument. This segmentation allows the fluid-maintaining function to be added without modifying the core instrument structure, thus improving decontamination efficiency while minimizing increases in overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The distal tip protector is designed as a disposable component that is applied after use and discarded after reprocessing. This approach allows the use of a relatively simple device structure that maintains fluid effectively for the short duration needed, without requiring complex reusable mechanisms, thereby improving decontamination efficiency while keeping device complexity low.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

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 distal tip protector effectively maintains a moist environment around the instrument's distal tip, making decontamination more efficient and ensuring that contaminants are easily removable, thereby extending the life of reusable medical instruments.

Implementation Method 1

A distal tip protector is applied to maintain fluid around the distal tip of medical instruments, keeping it moist and facilitating easier decontamination

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid containment: Physical Containment

Data Source

PatentUS11684450B2Distal tip protector for use in pre-treating medical instruments

Publication Date: 2023.06.27 MEDISAFE UK

AI summary

A method of pre-treating a contaminated medical instrument that is to undergo decontamination involves inserting a distal tip of the instrument into a distal tip protector. The distal tip of the instrument is inserted through a rupturable resilient seal into an internal cavity of the protector that contains a fluid. The distal tip protector thereby maintains a fluid around the distal tip of the instrument until the distal tip protector is removed to allow reprocessing of the instrument to take place, facilitating decontamination of the instrument.