Infant Positioning Pad With Adjustable Wings for Flexed Midline Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current infant positioning devices fail to securely maintain preterm and ill infants in therapeutic flexion and midline positions for extended periods, as they tend to unroll, loosen, or shift, and are limited in the positions they support, making it difficult to achieve normal fetal development.
Innovation Solution
A multipurpose infant positioning device with adjustable components such as a lower pad, wings, and a detachable pillow that allows for secure attachment to various locations, providing support in supine, side-lying, and prone positions without disturbing the infant, and enabling easy repositioning between these positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional positioning items (blankets, towels, bedding) are used to support the infant, then the infant can be positioned in flexion and midline orientation, but these items tend to unroll, loosen and shift away from their position, failing to provide secure boundaries for prolonged periods
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning device is divided into multiple functional segments including a base layer, positioning wings with fasteners, and a head support element. Each segment can be independently adjusted and secured, preventing the entire device from unrolling or shifting while maintaining secure boundaries around the infant.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning device incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable components that can adapt to different infant positions and sizes. The fastening system allows dynamic adjustment to maintain secure positioning as the infant moves or grows, ensuring prolonged effectiveness without loosening or shifting.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a single positioning device is used, then the structure is simplified, but the device can only support limited therapeutic positions, requiring multiple devices for different orientations
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning device is designed with multiple functional components that can be configured to support various therapeutic positions including supine, prone, and side-lying orientations. The adjustable wings, fasteners, and head support can be repositioned to accommodate different infant needs, eliminating the requirement for multiple separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates dynamic, reconfigurable elements that allow transition between different positioning configurations. The adjustable components enable the same device to adapt to various therapeutic orientations, providing versatility without requiring multiple static devices.
3Reliability
If the positioning device provides secure containment, then the infant is maintained in therapeutic position, but the infant's freedom of movement is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning device applies containment selectively at specific locations where therapeutic positioning is needed (such as the head and torso), while leaving other areas (such as the lower extremities) more open to allow natural movement and freedom, thus maintaining both positioning reliability and movement freedom.
Data Source
AI summary
A multipurpose infant positioning device that includes a lower pad with front and back surfaces, wings attached to lateral sides of the lower pad and a bottom flap attached to the bottom portion of the lower pad. At least one of the wings and bottom flap have fastening segments attached thereto for adjustably attaching these components to portions of the lower pad. The fastened wing and bottom flap are made of a material having sufficient resiliency to maintain and bring an infant back to flexed midline position within the infant positioning device. These infant positioning devices may further include a headpiece, brim, pocket at the back surface of the lower pad and a detachable readjustable multipurpose pillow for positioning the infant from and between supine, prone and side-lying positions, all while maintaining and reinforcing the flexed midline position of the infant for normal development.