Gastrostomy Tube Reinsertion Device with Incremental Dilators
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an improved method to reinsert a gastrostomy tube into the abdominal tract without the need for additional surgery, especially when the tube becomes dislodged and the tract has closed, requiring a means to dilate the collapsed soft tissue for easy reinsertion by moderately-skilled healthcare providers.
Innovation Solution
A gastrostomy tube reinsertion device comprising multiple dilators of incremental sizes with rounded blunt tips and serrated sides, allowing progressive and sequential expansion of the tract for reinsertion, enabling the device to be used by non-surgical personnel without hospital admission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gastrostomy tube is removed or dislodged, then the tract closes and surgical intervention is required, but this increases treatment complexity, cost, and patient burden
Solution Approach 1:
The reinsertion device is segmented into multiple dilators of incremental sizes (e.g., 3mm, 5mm, 8mm) that can be used sequentially to progressively dilate the closed tract. This segmentation allows the tract to be reopened safely without surgical intervention by gradually expanding the tissue from smaller to larger diameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The dilators are designed with rounded blunt tips to perform preliminary action of gently separating and dilating the closed soft tissue before the actual tube reinsertion. This preliminary dilation action prepares the tract for easy tube passage without requiring surgical cutting or complex procedures.
2Ease of operation
If surgical intervention is required for reinsertion, then the tract can be reopened, but this requires hospital admission and increases costs
Solution Approach 1:
The reinsertion device enables moderately-skilled healthcare providers to perform the reinsertion procedure themselves without requiring surgical specialists or hospital admission. The self-contained dilators with incremental sizes allow the provider to independently dilate the tract and reinsert the tube, eliminating the need for surgical intervention and reducing hospital stay.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the tract is dilated progressively, then the soft tissue can be safely expanded, but this requires multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The dilators are designed with nested dimensions where smaller dilators can be stored within or alongside larger ones, creating a compact kit. The incremental sizes (3mm, 5mm, 8mm) are proportionally scaled and can be sequentially introduced through the same access point, minimizing the need for multiple separate insertion sites while safely expanding the tract.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2~4
AI summary
The invention disclosed herein is a gastrostomy tube reinsertion device. The present invention provides a dilation device for dilating the gastrostomy tube tract in living tissues. In one aspect, the gastrostomy tube reinsertion device comprises multiple dilators to open collapsed soft tissue within the gastrostomy tube tract. Such device is useful for reinserting a gastrostomy tube into the previously defined tract in a human body, even after partial closure of the tract and gastrostomy tube insertion site. In another aspect, the present invention provides the method or steps for reinserting a gastrostomy tube into a patient.