Hemi-bridge wound closure device with segmented elasticity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wound closure methods using sutures face challenges such as inflammation, ingrown sutures, excessive tension leading to cheesewiring, and difficulty in achieving wound eversion, especially in high-tension areas. Additionally, traditional adhesive dressings can cause blistering due to uniform elasticity.
Innovation Solution
The use of a stress dispersing device with a hemi-bridge system, comprising multiple zones with varying layers and inserts, which helps to disperse tension and prevent cheesewiring. The device includes a lower layer extending across all zones, an upper layer in specific zones, and inserts with eyelets to facilitate suturing, allowing for better wound closure and reduced risk of blistering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If suture is placed under excessive tension to close wounds with excisional defects, then wound closure is achieved, but the suture can slice through the skin (cheesewiring)
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the wound closure function into multiple segments: adhesive layers for skin attachment, a rigid insert for tension distribution, and eyelets for suture anchoring. This segmentation allows tension to be distributed across multiple points rather than concentrated at a single suture line, preventing cheesewiring while maintaining closure strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid insert is strategically positioned at the wound site to provide localized structural support and tension distribution. The adhesive layers are applied to the skin surfaces while the rigid insert remains at the wound bed, creating different functional zones with appropriate mechanical properties for each location.
2Area of stationary object
If traditional adhesive dressings of uniform elasticity are used, then wound coverage is achieved, but shear force increases at the farthest point from tension source, increasing blistering risk
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive dressing is designed with variable elasticity properties: more elastic at the distal end farthest from the tension source to accommodate skin movement and reduce shear stress, and less elastic near the tension source for secure attachment. This gradient in mechanical properties prevents blistering while maintaining adequate wound coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive layers are designed with dynamic mechanical properties that allow them to deform and accommodate skin movement. The variable elasticity enables the dressing to adapt to different stress conditions at different locations, reducing the risk of blistering during patient movement.
3Strength
If sutures and surgical knots are used to close wounds, then wound closure is achieved, but inflammation and ingrown sutures occur that impede healing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the suture and knot elements from the wound closure process, replacing them with an adhesive-based system. The rigid insert with eyelets provides structural support without requiring penetrating sutures or knots that cause inflammation and become ingrown, thereby eliminating the harmful effects while maintaining closure functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive layers serve as an intermediary between the skin surfaces and the wound bed, providing closure without the need for penetrating sutures. The rigid insert acts as a mediator that distributes tension across the wound site, eliminating the need for tight suturing that causes inflammation and tissue damage.
4Shape
If wound eversion is achieved to resist scar widening in high-tension areas, then scar appearance is improved, but the procedure becomes technically difficult for less skilled operators
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs wound eversion automatically through its structural design. The rigid insert with its specific geometry and the arrangement of adhesive layers create mechanical forces that naturally evert the wound edges during application and tensioning, eliminating the need for operator skill to manually achieve eversion while maintaining the desired scar appearance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of closing a wound includes providing a first bridging portion comprising a first insert having at least one first eyelet, and a first upper layer of material at least partially disposed over the first insert, and a first lower layer of material disposed below the first insert, the first lower layer of material having an adhesive disposed on a first lower surface, wherein the first insert, the first upper layer and the first lower layer form three zones of different elasticity and stiffness than others of the zones.