Infusion Support Walker With Deployable Base for Tip Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intravenous (IV) poles are unstable, difficult to maneuver, and inefficient for providing mobility assistance, often tipping over and hindering patient movement due to their rigid, heavy, and poorly designed geometry, which poses safety risks and storage challenges in clinical settings.
Innovation Solution
A redesigned infusion management system (IMS) with a large, open-ended base footprint and angled trunk configuration that provides stability and mobility assistance, featuring deployable wheels, adjustable components, and compact storage capabilities, allowing for easy handling of heavy medical devices and accessories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional IV pole with vertical pole and wheeled base is used, then the system can support medical components, but the system is inherently unstable and prone to tipping
Solution Approach 1:
The base structure is made dynamically adjustable through telescoping base arms that can extend and retract. When extended, the base arms increase the footprint area to enhance stability and prevent tipping. When retracted, they reduce the overall size for easier maneuverability and storage. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt its stability characteristics based on operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The base arms are configured to extend in a lateral direction perpendicular to the main pole, creating a wider footprint that distributes the center of gravity more effectively. This dimensional expansion in the lateral direction significantly increases the stability margin without proportionally increasing the height or longitudinal footprint, thereby preventing tipping while maintaining maneuverability.
2Strength
If the IV pole is made rigid and heavy to support components, then it can hold medical equipment, but it becomes difficult to maneuver and roll
Solution Approach 1:
The base arms incorporate telescoping mechanisms that allow them to extend when support capacity is needed and retract when maneuverability is prioritized. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to transition between states of high strength/support and easy maneuverability, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The base structure is segmented into multiple telescoping sections that can independently adjust their length. This segmentation allows the system to extend the base arms for increased support capacity when needed, and retract them for easier rolling and maneuvering, providing flexible adaptation to different operational conditions.
3Reliability
If the IV pole is designed with a large footprint for stability, then it resists tipping, but it occupies valuable hospital space and is difficult to store
Solution Approach 1:
The base arms are designed to be dynamically extendable and retractable. When the system needs to be stored or moved through tight spaces, the base arms retract to minimize the footprint area. When the system is deployed and needs to provide stable support, the base arms extend to maximize the footprint area for enhanced stability. This dynamic size adjustment resolves the contradiction between stability and storage efficiency.
4Ease of operation
If the IV pole uses a central vertical pole configuration, then components can be easily attached, but the center of gravity shifts toward the perimeter making it prone to tipping
Solution Approach 1:
The base arms extend laterally in a direction perpendicular to the main pole, creating a widened footprint that positions the support points farther from the center. This dimensional change in the lateral direction counteracts the perpendicular shift of the center of gravity caused by attached components, thereby maintaining stability while preserving easy component attachment capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An integrated infusion management system provides for stable support of components attached to the system, even when the system is mobile. The system is optionally a mobility assist or walker for a patient who is attached to any number of medical components. A central trunk connects to a two-sided base that does not interfere with patient motion. The trunk may be angled with respect to vertical and oriented to support medical components in a configuration that is tip-resistant. The system is optionally deployable to facilitate conversion between a compact storage configuration and a stable deployed configuration. In an embodiment, additional deployable features include holding arms for holding various medical components, wheels, mobility arms and handles. Also provided is a novel wheel system with deployable wheels and methods associated with providing compact storage of any one or more of the systems presented herein.