Flexible Foreign Object Extractor With Adhesive Bonding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical instruments for removing objects from the body, such as forceps, can be traumatic to tissues due to their rigidity and often rely on unreliable vacuum pressure, which may fail to grip irregularly shaped objects or risk fragmenting them.
Innovation Solution
A pliable foreign object extractor with a flared end coated in fast-curing adhesive, allowing for pneumatic suction to form a strong, non-releasable bond with the object, eliminating the need for sliding past the object and providing secure grip without relying solely on vacuum pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If forceps are used to seize and extract foreign objects, then extraction can be performed, but tissue damage and pain occur due to the rigidity and hardness of metal or rigid plastic forceps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible extractor made of pliable material that can conform to tissue contours while maintaining extraction capability. The flexible body allows the instrument to navigate anatomical structures without causing damage, while still providing sufficient grip strength to remove foreign objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the extractor from rigid metal or plastic to pliable material with appropriate mechanical properties. This parameter change allows the instrument to be both gentle on tissue and effective at extraction, resolving the contradiction between extraction capability and tissue damage prevention.
2Ease of operation
If vacuum pressure is used to grip foreign objects, then non-contact extraction is possible, but the grip is unreliable on irregularly shaped objects and may cause fragmentation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite approach combining pliable material structure with adhesive coating. The pliable body provides conformability and mechanical strength, while the adhesive layer ensures reliable bonding to irregularly shaped objects, preventing both grip failure and object fragmentation during extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical vacuum pressure system with an adhesive bonding mechanism. This substitution provides more reliable and controllable grip on irregularly shaped objects, eliminating the unreliability of vacuum pressure while maintaining non-contact extraction benefits.
3Ease of operation
If vacuum pressure is applied to grip foreign objects, then extraction can be performed, but control of the vacuum pressure amount is difficult and may fragment easily broken objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the difficult-to-control vacuum pressure system with adhesive bonding. The adhesive provides gentle, distributed forces that are easier to control and less likely to cause fragmentation of brittle objects, while still enabling effective extraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the gripping mechanism from high-pressure vacuum to adhesive bonding with controlled shear strength. This parameter change allows for more precise control of extraction forces, preventing fragmentation of easily broken objects while maintaining extraction effectiveness.
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 extractor effectively removes foreign objects without causing tissue damage, securely gripping irregularly shaped or frangible items and ensuring the bond remains intact after extraction, enhancing safety and efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
A fast-curing adhesive is disposed on the exposed flared surface of the distal end... form a substantially permanent and/or substantially non-releasable bond between the distal end and the foreign body
Implementation Method 2
Pneumatic suction is applied through the lumen of the extractor and the suction serves to bring the foreign object into contact with the adhesive coated surface of the extractor
Data Source
AI summary
The foreign object extractor has an elongated hollow tube with a central lumen through its entire length providing fluid connection between an engaging end and a vacuum source. The engaging end has a nominally round transverse cross-section and is shaped to engage a foreign object to be removed from the human body. The engaging end flares so as to expose the internal surface of the elongated hollow tube for engagement with the foreign object. An adhesive is disposed on the exposed internal flared surface of the distal end. Pneumatic suction is applied through the lumen of the extractor and the suction serves to bring the foreign object into contact with the adhesive coated surface of the extractor to form a bond between the extractor and the object to be extracted.