Fluid Management System with Abnormality Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endoscopic procedures face inefficiencies and safety risks due to clogging, kinking, and leaks in irrigation and suction channels, which can lead to reduced procedure efficiency, increased risk, and prolonged surgical times.
Innovation Solution
A fluid management system with integrated sensors and processing circuitry that monitors inflow and outflow parameters to detect abnormalities such as kinks, leaks, or clogs in real-time, allowing for automatic adjustments to maintain optimal fluid flow and pressure, thereby preventing blockages and ensuring continuous procedure efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual monitoring of irrigation and suction channels is used during endoscopic procedures, then the system remains simple, but procedure efficiency decreases and safety risks increase due to delayed detection of clogging, kinking, or leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automatic feedback monitoring by placing sensors (flow sensors, pressure sensors) within the irrigation and suction channels that continuously detect parameters such as flow rate and pressure. When abnormalities like clogging, kinking, or leaks are detected, the system automatically alerts the operator or adjusts parameters, eliminating the need for manual monitoring and improving procedure efficiency without requiring complex external intervention systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid management system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment by using integrated sensors to automatically detect tubing abnormalities and trigger appropriate responses. The system serves itself by monitoring its own operational status and initiating corrective actions, reducing the burden on operators and maintaining high procedure efficiency without adding complex external monitoring equipment.
2Reliability
If real-time sensor monitoring is implemented to detect tubing abnormalities, then safety and procedure efficiency improve, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multi-functional sensors that can detect multiple types of abnormalities (clogging, kinking, leaks) using the same sensor platform. For example, pressure sensors and flow sensors serve multiple detection purposes within the irrigation and suction channels. This universal approach improves safety by comprehensive monitoring while minimizing device complexity by avoiding the need for specialized sensors for each type of abnormality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple monitoring functions into integrated sensor assemblies that are embedded within the endoscope structure. The flow sensors, pressure sensors, and temperature sensors are merged into a unified monitoring system that processes data centrally, improving safety through comprehensive detection while reducing overall system complexity compared to separate independent monitoring systems for each function.
3Productivity
If manual intervention is required to address tubing issues during procedures, then the system remains simple to operate, but procedure duration increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides automatic feedback to the operator through visual or auditory alerts when tubing abnormalities are detected. This feedback mechanism enables the operator to quickly respond to issues without manual inspection, maintaining operational simplicity while significantly improving procedure efficiency by reducing the time required to detect and address problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection and alerting of tubing abnormalities before they escalate into critical failures. By continuously monitoring parameters and issuing early warnings, the system allows operators to take preventive actions while still maintaining simple operation protocols, thereby improving procedure efficiency without complicating the operational workflow.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for detecting abnormalities in medical devices during medical procedures within a patient can include an inflow tubing defining an inflow lumen configured to provide a fluid from a fluid source to a site of the medical procedure. An inflow sensor can be in communication with the inflow lumen to sense an inflow parameter of the fluid within the inflow lumen. An outflow tubing can define an outflow lumen configured to extract debris from the site of the medical procedure. An outflow sensor can be in communication with the outflow lumen to sense an outflow parameter of the debris within the outflow lumen. A memory including instructions; and processing circuitry that, when in operation, can be configured by the instructions to identify an abnormality in either the inflow tubing or the outflow tubing based on comparing the inflow signal or the outflow signal, respectively, to a pre-determined threshold.