Fistula Catheter with Collapsible Bumper for Tool-Free Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fistula catheters require replacement tools like syringes or extension tools for insertion and withdrawal, which complicates the procedure, increases practitioner workload, and poses a risk of damaging the fistula due to larger diameters, necessitating a less invasive solution.
Innovation Solution
A fistula catheter design featuring a cylindrical catheter part, a rod-like bumper part, and a flexible guide part with overlapping peripheral surfaces, allowing for insertion and withdrawal without additional tools, with a flexible connecting mechanism that functions as both an intracorporeal and extracorporeal fixing part, reducing invasiveness and simplifying the procedure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional bumper-type fistula catheters are used with extension tools for insertion, then the catheter can be secured in the fistula, but the procedure becomes complicated and increases practitioner workload
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the catheter body and the fixing bumper into a single integrated unit, eliminating the need for separate extension tools. The catheter includes an elongate body with a bumper at its distal end that can be inserted through the skin and secured in the fistula without requiring additional replacement tools, thus simplifying the procedure while maintaining reliable fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter body serves multiple functions: it acts as both the delivery mechanism for the bumper and the functional catheter for fluid administration. The elongate catheter body can be inserted through the skin along with the bumper, eliminating the need for separate tools, and continues to serve its primary function of fluid delivery after insertion.
2Reliability
If conventional fistula catheters with larger diameter bumpers are used, then the catheter can be securely fixed in the fistula, but there is a risk of damaging the fistula
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the bumper by making it collapsible or compressible. The bumper can be compressed to a smaller diameter during insertion through the skin and fistula tract, reducing the risk of damage. Once positioned inside the fistula, the bumper expands to its normal size to provide secure fixation, thus resolving the contradiction between secure fixation and fistula damage prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper is designed to dynamically change its size - compressed during insertion and expanded after positioning. This dynamic behavior allows the bumper to adapt to the insertion constraints (small diameter needed) and the fixation requirements (larger diameter needed), preventing fistula damage during insertion while ensuring secure fixation afterward.
3Reliability
If replacement tools are required for each patient, then hygiene standards can be maintained, but it creates a lot of work for practitioners and risks of lost tools
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the catheter and bumper into a single disposable unit that can be inserted without additional tools, the patent eliminates the need for separate replacement tools for each patient. The entire assembly is inserted through the skin in one procedure, maintaining hygiene standards while significantly reducing practitioner workload and the risk of lost tools.
4Strength
If a single piece construction is used for the catheter and bumper, then the structure is simplified and durability is improved, but the catheter cannot be easily replaced
Solution Approach 1:
While the catheter and bumper form a single integrated piece for structural integrity, the design incorporates a retrieval feature where the bumper can be collapsed or compressed to allow the entire assembly to be withdrawn as one unit. This segmentation of the insertion/removal process from the structural integration allows for easy replacement while maintaining structural strength during use.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(b)
Figure 2~3
Figure 4(a)~9(c)
AI summary
A fistula catheter which can be inserted and withdrawn without the use of a replacement tool such as a syringe or an extension tool and a fistula catheter that is sparingly invasive for the fistula are disclosed. The fistula catheter can have a substantially cylindrical catheter part; a rod-like bumper part; a guide part provided with a flexible peripheral wall which is bent in such a way that it can overlap the outer peripheral surface of the catheter part and the outer peripheral surface of the bumper part, wherein a catheter insertion opening into which the catheter part can be inserted is formed in said peripheral wall; a flexible first connecting part for connecting the catheter part and the bumper part in such a way as to extend in the axial direction; and a flexible second connecting part for connecting the bumper part and the guide part in such a way as to extend in the axial direction.