Feeding attachments, feeding cup and methods of use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients with early or intermediate stage dysphagia face challenges with existing feeding cup designs that require neck hyperextension, leading to increased risk of aspiration and complications, and often carry stigma associated with using feeding cups, necessitating a solution that allows for safe and stigma-free feeding without neck extension.
Innovation Solution
A feeding cup attachment system with a spoon-shaped body and valve arrangement that allows controlled flow of thickened liquids, enabling patients to feed without neck hyperextension, and interchangeable attachments to accommodate varying stages of dysphagia, including a sipper attachment for suck-based swallowing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If thickened liquid food is fed from a standard cup, then the patient can be fed, but neck hyperextension is required which worsens dysphagia and increases aspiration risk
Solution Approach 1:
A feeding attachment acts as an intermediary device between the cup and patient's mouth. The attachment includes a body with a spout that delivers thickened liquid food without requiring the patient to hyperextend the neck, thereby reducing aspiration risk while maintaining feeding functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The feeding system is segmented into separate components: a cup for holding food, a removable feeding attachment for controlled delivery, and a spout for oral intake. This segmentation allows the delivery mechanism to be optimized independently from the storage container, enabling safe feeding without neck hyperextension.
2Ease of operation
If a feeding cup is used for patients with dysphagia, then feeding can be achieved, but stigma is associated with its use
Solution Approach 1:
The feeding attachment is designed to be removable and interchangeable, allowing patients to dynamically adjust their feeding method based on their needs and social context. The attachment can be detached to use a regular spoon or cup, enabling patients to switch between specialized and normal-looking feeding methods as situations require.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows parameter changes in feeding methodology by offering multiple attachment types (spoon attachment, spout attachment) that can be swapped based on the patient's dysphagia stage and social requirements, transforming the feeding experience from stigmatizing to flexible and adaptive.
3Adaptability or versatility
If interchangeable feeding attachments are introduced for different dysphagia stages, then device adaptability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single cup design serves as a universal base that can accommodate multiple types of feeding attachments. The cup's opening and connection mechanism are designed to accept different attachments (spoon, spout, etc.), allowing one device to perform multiple feeding functions across different dysphagia stages without requiring multiple specialized cups.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a feeding attachment for a feeding cup for feeding a patient with feeding difficulties. The feeding cup including a cup body for containing thickened liquid food a wall, and an exit channel. The feeding attachment includes an attachment means for removably attaching to the exit channel and a body for receipt of the thickened liquid food, via the exit channel. A control means, for control of the thickened liquid food from the exit channel is also included. In this way thickened liquid food may enter the body of the feeding attachment from the exit channel, as controlled by the control means, and the patient may take the thickened liquid food from the body of the feeding attachment without hyperextension of the neck. The invention also relates to the cup and feeding attachment together and methods of use.