Holding Device for Elongated Instruments Prevents Tangling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medical procedures involving multiple elongated instruments, such as catheters, often require manual handling to prevent movement and maintain orientation, which can be cumbersome and lead to tangling or disconnection, especially in critical care settings.

Innovation Solution

A holding device that selectively receives and secures elongated instruments, preventing longitudinal movement and rotation, featuring a retention member, insertion member, and a lock that transitions between open and securing states to maintain the instrument in place.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple elongated instruments are manually handled to prevent movement and maintain orientation, then procedural control is improved, but practitioner workload and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedural controlVSAvoidhandling complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The holding device merges multiple functions (positioning, orientation control, and stabilization) into a single integrated structure that secures multiple elongated instruments simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate manual handling of each instrument

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The holding device provides self-stabilizing features including friction surfaces and conformal contact areas that automatically maintain instrument position and orientation without requiring continuous active manipulation by the practitioner

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If elongated instruments are manually held to prevent movement, then instrument positioning is improved, but practitioner fatigue and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinstrument positioningVSAvoidtime consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The holding device is pre-configured with positioning features, friction surfaces, and geometric constraints that automatically establish correct instrument positioning upon insertion, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual adjustment and continuous monitoring

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If elongated instruments are secured to prevent tangling and disconnection, then procedural safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedural safetyVSAvoiddevice structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The holding device incorporates flexible conformal contact surfaces that adapt to the shape of elongated instruments, providing secure retention through friction and geometric interlocking rather than rigid mechanical constraints, thereby preventing tangling and disconnection with minimal structural complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS9931488B2Holding devices for elongated instruments

Publication Date: 2018.04.03 EPGEAR LLC

AI summary

A holding device for elongated instruments can include a channel for receiving therein an intermediate portion of an elongated instrument. The holding device can include a lock that includes a seat against which the elongated instrument can rest and a resiliently deformable retention arm that is movable relative to the seat. The lock, when in the securing state, can retain within the channel the intermediate portion of the elongated instrument to prevent the intermediate portion from one or more of translating or rotating relative to the device.