Hernia Repair Procedure Selection Using Disease-Specific Quality of Life Assessment

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current prosthetic mesh products for hernia repairs often cause long-term abdominal wall stiffness and discomfort due to inflammatory reactions, leading to decreased quality of life and uneven distribution of abdominal pressures, which existing quality of life surveys like the SF-36 questionnaire fail to adequately address.

Innovation Solution

A disease-specific quality of life questionnaire, such as the Comfort Scale (CS) questionnaire, is administered to post-operative patients to assess the severity of symptoms and limitations in activities after hernia repair procedures, with the data analyzed to determine an optimal hernia repair procedure for pre-operative patients based on their characteristics, aiming to minimize the procedure's impact on quality of life.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If prosthetic mesh is used to repair hernia, then recurrence rate is reduced, but abdominal wall compliance decreases and patient comfort deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehernia recurrence preventionVSAvoidabdominal wall compliance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying mesh characteristics including material composition (polypropylene, polyester, PTFE, ePTFE), weight (lightweight vs heavyweight), pore size (microporous structures), and mesh architecture (monofilament vs multifilament, knitted vs woven) to optimize the balance between hernia recurrence prevention and abdominal wall compliance maintenance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Duration of action of stationary object

If prosthetic mesh is implanted long-term, then hernia repair durability is improved, but inflammatory reaction increases and fibrosis occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemesh implantation durationVSAvoidinflammatory reaction

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of stationary objectVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating heterogeneous mesh structures with varying pore sizes, filament diameters, and material distributions within the same mesh product. This local variation in physical and chemical properties modulates the inflammatory response at different locations, reducing overall fibrosis while maintaining structural integrity for long-term durability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite materials by combining different polymer types (synthetic and natural), filament structures (monofilament and multifilament), and mesh architectures in single products. These composite constructions balance biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and inflammatory response modulation to achieve long-term implantation with reduced adverse reactions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

3Stability of the object's composition

If rigid scar plate forms around mesh, then mesh structural stability is improved, but patient quality of life deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemesh structural stabilityVSAvoidpatient quality of life

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies flexible shells and thin films by utilizing lightweight mesh constructions with thin filament structures and open pore architectures. These flexible mesh designs reduce the formation of rigid scar plates while maintaining adequate structural stability, thereby preserving patient quality of life and abdominal wall dynamics

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

4Adaptability or versatility

If generic quality of life surveys are used, then assessment breadth is improved, but measurement precision for hernia-specific outcomes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurvey assessment breadthVSAvoidhernia-specific outcome measurement

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by dividing the quality of life assessment into distinct domains: general health (using SF-36) and hernia-specific symptoms (using Comfort Scale with items addressing mesh sensation, pain, and activity limitations). This segmented approach allows both broad assessment and precise measurement of hernia-specific outcomes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS8606591B2Systems, methods, and computer program products for determining an optimum hernia repair procedure

Publication Date: 2013.12.10 CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG HOSPITAL AUTHORITY

AI summary

Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for determining an optimum hernia repair procedure for a pre-operative patient. Responses to a health questionnaire administered to post-operative patients are scored to determine an overall score indicative of the post-operative patient's quality of life following a hernia repair procedure. Each overall score is associated with at least one patient characteristic and one procedure characteristic relating to the respective post-operative patient. Based on the overall scores and the associated characteristics, an optimum hernia repair procedure, including a type of operation and/or a type of prosthetic mesh, is determined. A terminal and/or user input device may be used to receive the responses, and the responses and associated characteristics may be stored in a memory accessible by a processor that can analyze the stored data to make the determination. Search criteria relating to the pre-operative patient may also be received to inform the analysis.