Electro-mechanical Pump Bellows Negative Pressure Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current negative-pressure therapy systems for wound treatment lack efficient and cost-effective solutions for applying and managing negative pressure, particularly in terms of reusable components, flow rates, and reducing electronic costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of an electro-mechanical pump system with a bellows configuration and one-way valves, allowing for high or low flow rates, with separable and reusable components, including a manually operable option that eliminates the need for a rigid canister and reduces power draw by maintaining a constant force curve.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional negative-pressure therapy system is used, then negative pressure can be applied to the wound, but the system is expensive and lacks reusable components
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into reusable and disposable portions. The pump mechanism, control unit, and power supply are reusable components that can be sterilized and reused. The tubing set, dressing, and collection container are disposable portions that are discarded after a single use. This segmentation allows the expensive pump to be reused while only the low-cost consumables are discarded, significantly reducing overall system cost while maintaining performance reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables recovery and reuse of the pump mechanism, control electronics, and power supply components. Only the tubing set and dressing are discarded after single use. This selective discarding and recovering approach maintains system performance while reducing costs by avoiding replacement of expensive components.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid canister is used to maintain negative pressure, then pressure stability is achieved, but the device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces rigid canisters with flexible bellows made of elastic material. The bellows maintain negative pressure through their elastic recoil properties rather than rigid structure. This flexible shell approach simplifies device design, reduces manufacturing complexity, and eliminates the need for heavy rigid containers while maintaining pressure stability through the elastic memory of the bellows material.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic bellows automatically maintain negative pressure through their inherent elastic properties without requiring active control systems, sensors, or power consumption for pressure regulation. The bellows self-regulate pressure through their elastic recoil, eliminating the need for complex electronic pressure control systems and reducing overall device complexity and power requirements.
3Productivity
If high flow rates are required for effective wound treatment, then healing is accelerated, but power consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pump operates in periodic cycles, drawing air into the bellows during expansion phases and expelling it during compression phases. This periodic action creates pulsating negative pressure that enhances wound healing by promoting blood flow and tissue perfusion. The intermittent operation allows for high instantaneous flow rates during each cycle while maintaining lower average power consumption compared to continuous high-flow systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes phase transitions in the bellows material between expanded and compressed states to generate pressure differentials. During expansion, the bellows create negative pressure to draw fluid and air from the wound. During compression, the bellows expel contents. These phase transitions enable high flow rates during each transition while the system operates intermittently, reducing overall power consumption compared to continuous operation.
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
This system effectively applies and manages negative pressure for wound treatment, reducing healing times and costs by providing a reusable pump with disposable tubing, maintaining a constant force curve, and eliminating fluid ingress into the device.
Implementation Method 1
a first one-way valve configured to allow fluid ingress to the enclosure, a second one-way valve configured to allow fluid egress from the enclosure
Implementation Method 2
an actuator configured to apply a linear force to the actuation surface
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for negative-pressure treatment may include an enclosure having a variable volume, a port and an actuation surface, a first one-way valve configured to allow fluid ingress to the enclosure, a second one-way valve configured to allow fluid egress from the enclosure, and an actuator configured to apply a linear force to the actuation surface.