Ear Stent Design for Collapsing Canal Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Collapsing ear canals lead to conductive hearing loss, and existing surgical remedies often result in scarring and stenosis, necessitating a non-surgical solution to support the ear canal and prevent scar development.
Innovation Solution
An ear stent with a longitudinal axis, comprising an insertional portion and a flange portion, designed for insertion into the ear canal to maintain an open configuration and prevent over-insertion, formed as a unitary body without electronic components, allowing for fluid communication and potentially trimmed to fit individual ear canals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgery (canaloplasties) is performed to remedy collapsing ear canals, then the ear canal structure can be reconstructed, but scarring and stenosis are common side effects that occlude the ear canal
Solution Approach 1:
The ear stent acts as an intermediary device inserted into the ear canal to provide structural support and maintain patency without requiring surgical reconstruction. The stent physically supports the collapsing ear canal walls, preventing scarring and stenosis that would result from surgical intervention while allowing the natural ear canal to heal without occlusion.
2Reliability
If a stent is inserted into the ear canal to support the canal structure, then conductive hearing loss is mitigated, but the stent must be precisely fitted to avoid over-insertion and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is pre-formed with a specific length and dimensional profile that corresponds to the dimensions of the ear canal. This preliminary sizing and shaping allows the stent to be inserted to the correct depth without requiring complex insertion techniques or precise real-time adjustment, as the pre-determined dimensions ensure proper fit upon insertion.
3Ease of manufacture
If the ear stent is made as a unitary body without electronic components, then manufacturing is simplified and reliability is improved, but customization for individual ear canal variations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The ear stent is manufactured with variable parameters including different lengths, diameters, and cross-sectional shapes to match the specific dimensions of different ear canals. By changing these geometric parameters while maintaining the simple unitary body design, the stent achieves customization for individual ear canal variations without requiring complex multi-component construction or electronic elements.
Data Source
AI summary
An ear stent can be inserted into a collapsing ear canal to improve conductive hearing. The ear stent can be configured for insertion into an ear canal of a user. The ear stent can have a longitudinal axis. The ear stent can comprise an insertional portion that extends along the longitudinal axis between an insertional end and an outer end. The insertional portion can be configured to be inserted into the ear canal. The insertional portion can define a channel therethrough from the insertional end to the outer end. A flange portion can extend outwardly from the insertional portion at the outer end of the insertional portion.