Extendable Anesthesia System Clinical Center Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anesthesia systems lack separation of clinical and clerical functions, limiting workspace for anesthesiologists, compromising patient care due to cumbersome designs that require constant repositioning and inadequate storage for documentation and equipment, and provide inadequate alarm systems that complicate troubleshooting during emergencies.
Innovation Solution
An integrated, extendable anesthesia system with a clinical center and clinician/anesthesia office that separates clinical and clerical functions, allowing the clinical center to be positioned closer to the patient while maintaining office space, featuring a rotatable and linearly extendable design with improved alarm systems using information projection lighting for intuitive issue identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the breathing circuit is articulated away from the system using a double-hinged tubular arm, then the breathing system can be placed in close proximity to the patient, but the system requires extensive hose draping that increases complexity and risk of leakage and disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the breathing system from the main anesthesia system, placing it on a separate articulating arm that can be independently positioned near the patient. This separation eliminates the need for extensive hose draping between the main system and breathing circuit, reducing complexity and connection risks while maintaining close patient access.
2Device complexity
If the breathing system and controls are fixed on the trolley frame, then the system structure is simplified, but the entire system must be brought close to the patient reducing workspace availability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the anesthesia system into distinct functional modules: the main anesthesia system remains on the trolley with adequate workspace, while the breathing system is separated onto an articulating arm. This segmentation allows the breathing system to be positioned near the patient without requiring the entire system to be moved, preserving workspace area while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Area of stationary object
If the system is reduced in size to fit closer to the patient, then the footprint is minimized, but the workspace available to the anesthesiologist is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the system in the spatial dimension through an articulating arm mechanism that projects the breathing system outward from the main trolley. This dimensional extension allows the breathing system to reach the patient area without reducing the horizontal footprint or workspace area on the main system, maintaining both compactness and operational space.
4Length of moving object
If the tubular arm is extended to reach the patient, then breathing system access is improved, but the arm becomes vulnerable to damage from excessive forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a double-hinged articulating arm with multiple degrees of freedom that can dynamically adjust its position and orientation. The hinged joints provide mechanical advantage and force distribution, allowing the arm to reach the patient while distributing applied forces across multiple support points, reducing stress on any single structural element and preventing damage from excessive forces.
Data Source
AI summary
The specification describes anesthesia systems with an integrated, extendable clinical center and clinician/anesthesia office that accommodates for physical separation of clinical and clerical functions. The disclosed anesthesia systems allow for a portion of the system to be brought closer to the patient such that clinical controls can be accessed while tending to the patient airway, without compromising office space available to the clinician or crowding the patient area.