Exudate Storage Sleeve With Support Structure For Negative Pressure Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing negative pressure wound therapy devices face challenges in maintaining structural integrity under suction, leading to reduced effectiveness and biohazard contamination risks due to the reuse of single-use devices without proper sanitization.
Innovation Solution
The development of negative pressure wound therapy devices with a durable, reusable component and a disposable, replaceable detachable exudate storage module, featuring a sleeve with a support structure to maintain cross-sectional geometry and prevent inward collapse, along with a suction force generating mechanism that ensures consistent negative pressure application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible sleeve is used to allow compression and expansion under negative pressure, then the device can accommodate volume changes during therapy, but the sleeve may collapse inwardly and lose its cross-sectional geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible sleeve made of elastomeric material that can compress and expand to accommodate volume changes during negative pressure therapy. The flexibility allows the sleeve to adapt to varying exudate volumes while maintaining structural integrity through the integrated support structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve incorporates a composite structure combining flexible elastomeric material with a rigid support structure (helical coil or wire grid scaffolding). This composite design provides both the flexibility needed for volume accommodation and the structural rigidity to prevent collapse and maintain cross-sectional geometry under negative pressure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If single-use devices are disposed of after one use, then biohazard contamination is minimized, but cost restrictions and care settings may necessitate reuse
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into two distinct components: a durable reusable housing containing the force generating mechanism, and a disposable exudate storage module. This segmentation allows the disposable module to be discarded after single use to minimize biohazard contamination, while the expensive housing can be reused across multiple therapy sessions, balancing cost restrictions with infection control requirements.
3Stress or pressure
If the sleeve collapses under negative pressure, then the device structure changes, but the therapeutic negative pressure is no longer transmitted to the intended delivery site
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of the sleeve, combining flexible elastomeric material with a rigid support structure (helical coil or wire grid scaffolding), maintains structural integrity under negative pressure while allowing the necessary flexibility for volume changes. The rigid support prevents collapse that would otherwise interrupt negative pressure transmission to the wound site.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is extracted as a separate functional element within the sleeve design. The helical coil or wire grid scaffolding is positioned inside the flexible sleeve to provide internal reinforcement, separating the functions of flexibility (sleeve material) and structural support (embedded framework) to ensure continuous negative pressure transmission.
4Reliability
If the cross-section of the bellows fully collapses and closes due to generated suction, then the device may no longer provide therapeutic negative pressure, but the time or magnitude of negative pressure provided to the tissue site is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid support structure embedded within the flexible sleeve prevents complete collapse of the bellows cross-section under suction. This maintains the structural pathway for negative pressure transmission throughout the duration of therapy, ensuring reliable and continuous therapeutic effect without interruption from structural failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid support structure acts as a preventive measure built into the sleeve design before therapy begins. It preemptively prevents the cross-sectional collapse that would otherwise occur under suction, ensuring that negative pressure transmission remains reliable for the entire intended duration of the therapy session.
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 solution enhances the durability and effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy by maintaining consistent suction pressure and reducing biohazard contamination risks through the segregation of exudates, allowing for safe reuse of the device components.
Implementation Method 1
when a vacuum is generated within the bellows, the negative pressure may urge the bellows to collapse laterally inwardly
Implementation Method 2
the support element may comprise a support structure that is more rigid than the flexible wall
Implementation Method 3
negative pressure created in the bellows draws in fluids and tissue exudates to facilitate wound healing
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are devices and methods for reduced pressure tissue therapy. Some variations of suction devices for reduced pressure tissue therapy comprise a housing, a suction force generating mechanism located within the housing, and a storage module configured to retain tissue exudates. In some variations, the storage module includes a sleeve configured to collect tissue exudates. The sleeve may include a support element to help maintain the lateral structural integrity of the sleeve and/or retain the cross-sectional geometry of the sleeve under negative pressure. In use, the storage module may reduce sanitary and/or biohazard risks by preventing the exudates from contacting the housing and/or suction force generating mechanism. The storage module is configured to be replaced so that the housing and suction force generating mechanism can be used for more than one session.