Expandable Nasal Protective Device for Transnasal Instrument Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transnasal medical procedures often result in inadvertent damage to nasal mucosa due to blind passage of instruments, leading to post-operative scarring and congestion, as existing methods fail to effectively protect the nasal passages during such procedures.
Innovation Solution
A protective device with an expandable body portion, formed from a flexible material, is placed in a collapsed state within the nasal cavity and expanded to create a funnel-shaped passage, allowing medical instruments to pass through without causing damage, and can be used as a temporary stent to prevent adhesion formation post-procedure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If instruments are blindly passed through nasal cavities during transnasal procedures, then the surgical site can be accessed, but inadvertent damage to nasal mucosa occurs resulting in scarring and congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a protective device as an intermediary element between the medical instruments and the nasal mucosa. This device includes a protective outer surface that directly contacts and shields the nasal passages, while allowing instruments to pass through its interior passage. The mediator absorbs the harmful interaction, preventing direct contact between instruments and delicate mucosal tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective device employs a flexible shell structure that can be collapsed for insertion and then expanded to conform to the nasal cavity geometry. This flexible shell provides continuous protection along the instrument pathway while adapting to the anatomical constraints of the nasal passages, ensuring coverage without rigid interference.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective device is placed in the nasal cavity to prevent mucosa damage, then nasal trauma is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to expandable structure requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device transitions from a static protective barrier to a dynamic structure that changes state during the procedure. It begins in a collapsed configuration for easy insertion, then expands to its functional protective shape once positioned. This dynamic transformation simplifies the insertion process while maintaining comprehensive protection during the surgical procedure.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes a nested configuration where the protective shell can be collapsed within itself or around a core structure during insertion, then deployed outward to provide full protection. This nesting principle allows the protective surface area to be compacted for delivery while maintaining the capability to expand to the required protective dimensions within the nasal cavity.
3Area of stationary object
If the protective device body portion is made expandable from collapsed to expanded state, then the protective coverage is improved, but the device length along longitudinal axis increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device utilizes dimensional transformation by collapsing the protective surface in the longitudinal direction during insertion, then expanding it radially or laterally once positioned. This dimensionality change allows the device to achieve full protective surface area coverage without requiring the same longitudinal length during the insertion phase, effectively decoupling the insertion dimension from the protective function dimension.
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 device prevents nasal trauma, reduces post-operative congestion, and minimizes the need for scope washing and packing materials by providing a protective barrier for the nasal passages during and after transnasal procedures, facilitating easier instrument passage and reducing complications like synechia and sinusitis.
Implementation Method 1
The body portion is expandable, along a longitudinal axis, from a collapsed state to an expanded state
Implementation Method 2
The body portion is expandable, along a longitudinal axis, from a collapsed state to an expanded state and is formed with a substantially flexible material
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for protecting an internal channel of a subject are disclosed. In one example embodiment, a device for protecting an internal channel of a subject includes a first end portion having a first diameter and defining a first opening, and a second end portion opposite the first end portion having a second diameter and defining a second opening that is in communication with the first opening. A body portion is defined between the first end portion and second end portion. The body portion defines an interior passage between the first opening and second opening, and is expandable along a longitudinal axis from a collapsed state to an expanded state.