Elastomeric Body Support Wrap for Secure Medical Apparatus Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current garments designed for post-surgical recovery, particularly after mastectomy, are cumbersome and uncomfortable due to the use of fixed hook and loop fasteners, sewn seams, and skin abrasive materials, which can impede healing and cause discomfort by placing additional weight on surgical sites and allowing medical tubing and reservoirs to swing and move, necessitating constant management and risking damage during sleep.
Innovation Solution
A flexible body support wrap made of elastomeric materials with omnidirectional stretch capabilities, featuring a unique configuration of flexible sidewalls and attachment means that securely hold fluid communication elements without fixed openings or pouch edges, allowing for flexible positioning and reducing skin irritation, constructed from antimicrobial synthetic elastic fabric blends for comfort and hygiene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixed hook and loop fasteners and sewn seams are used in post-surgical garments, then the garment can securely hold medical tubing and reservoirs, but the garment becomes cumbersome and uncomfortable, causing skin irritation and impeding healing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional fasteners (hooks, loops, seams) from the garment structure entirely. Instead, it uses the elasticity of the knit fabric itself to provide securing force, extracting the harmful elements while maintaining the functional requirement of holding medical apparatus securely
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mechanical parameter of the fabric from rigid (with seams and fasteners) to elastic (knit structure). The elastic properties allow the fabric to dynamically adapt to body movements and provide gentle, distributed holding force without concentrated pressure points that cause skin irritation
2Ease of operation
If pockets or pouches for drains are placed directly below the breasts, then the drains can be stored, but additional weight is placed on the surgical site which impedes healing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redistributes the weight and storage capacity across the entire garment surface rather than concentrating it in pockets below the breasts. The elastic knit structure allows drains to be held securely at multiple locations along the torso, moving the harmful weight concentration to a distributed arrangement across different spatial dimensions
3Device complexity
If traditional garments are used without flexible positioning, then the structure is simple, but the medical tubing and reservoirs swing and move around, creating constant management needs and risk of damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adaptability through the elastic knit fabric, which can stretch and conform to body movements. This allows the garment to maintain secure holding of medical apparatus during various activities and positions, transforming from a static structure to a dynamic one that adapts to the wearer's movements without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
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 flexible body support wrap provides comfortable and secure support for medical apparatus, reducing discomfort and the risk of damage by allowing flexible positioning and minimizing skin irritation, thus enhancing recovery and usability during daily activities.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible body support wrap made of elastomeric materials with omnidirectional stretch capabilities
Data Source
AI summary
A body support wrap adapted to encompass a body article of a user while elastically encompassing and supporting a fluid communication element, the body support wrap includes first and second flexible elastomeric surrounding sidewalls that are adjacent to one another and offset on an upper end forming a mouth opening and the first and second sidewalls are evenly displaced on a lower end forming a closed attachment, wherein an interior pocket is formed therebetween the first and second sidewalls that the fluid communication element is disposed through the mouth opening, wherein operationally via the first and second sidewalls elasticity the fluid communication element is held anyplace within the interior pocket in multiple positions adjacent to the user for the convenience and comfort of the user.