Fluid-Permeable Guidewire Structure for Catheter Patency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vascular access devices, such as over-the-needle peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs), face issues like vein narrowing, collapse, or clogging, leading to inefficiencies in fluid infusion and blood draw, particularly in patients with difficult intravenous access or small veins, and often result in unusable blood samples due to quality concerns.
Innovation Solution
A vascular access system featuring a guidewire with a fluid permeable structure, including an elongated core and a coil, that extends beyond the catheter tip to push away obstructions, open valves, and facilitate blood flow, reducing kinking and vein damage, while allowing blood to enter through multiple inlet paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional PIVC is used for blood draw, then the catheter can be inserted into the vasculature, but the catheter may narrow, collapse, or clog with time, leading to failure
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is advanced through the catheter before blood draw to preemptively clear obstructions and open the distal tip, preventing clogging during the actual blood collection process
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument acts as an intermediary tool that can be passed through the catheter to mechanically clear fibrin material, thrombosis, and open the distal tip, enabling the catheter to maintain patency without direct intervention on the catheter itself
2Productivity
If a PIVC is used for blood draw, then access to the vasculature is established, but blood extracted may need to be discarded due to sample quality concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is advanced through the catheter before blood draw to clear obstructions and open the distal tip, ensuring optimal blood flow and sample quality from the first draw, thereby reducing the need to discard samples
3Productivity
If a PIVC is used for blood draw, then the catheter is in place, but the process is slow and inefficient, particularly for patients with difficult intravenous access
Solution Approach 1:
The instrument is advanced through the catheter before blood draw to preemptively clear obstructions and open the distal tip, ensuring optimal blood flow and reducing the time required for blood collection, especially in patients with difficult access
Solution Approach 2:
The instrument serves as a mediator that can be passed through the catheter to mechanically clear fibrin material, thrombosis, and open the distal tip, enabling faster and more efficient blood draw in challenging cases
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 system enhances catheter functionality by reducing occlusions, increasing dwell time, and decreasing blood collection time, especially for small gauge catheters, with fewer needle sticks and less frequent catheter replacements.
Implementation Method 1
the instrument may include a fluid permeable structure, which may provide a long, narrow inlet path or multiple inlet paths into the distal tip of the catheter
Data Source
AI summary
A delivery device to deliver a guidewire through an intravenous catheter assembly may include a housing, which may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a slot. The delivery device may include a guidewire, which may include a proximal end and a distal end. The delivery device may include a guidewire hub disposed within the housing. The guidewire may be secured to the guidewire hub, and the guidewire hub may be configured to move along the slot to advance the guidewire in a distal direction. The distal end of the guidewire may include a fluid permeable structure. For example, the fluid permeable structure may include an elongated core and a coil extending around the elongated core. In some embodiments, a space between the elongated core and the coil may be configured to receive blood in response to the guidewire being inserted into the vasculature.