Insufflation System with Intermittent Gas Delivery for Pressure Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insufflation systems for medical procedures face challenges in maintaining stable pressure within a lumen during both manual and automatic gas insufflation, leading to increased operational burden on operators and potential discomfort for patients, especially when insufflating air into sensitive areas like the stomach and large intestine.
Innovation Solution
An insufflation system comprising a first automatic conduit and a second manual conduit, with a pressure detecting device and control device that alternately insufflates gas and detects pressure, adjusting the insufflation flow rate to maintain a stable pressure, mimicking the sense of manual operation by intermittently insufflating gas and pausing to detect pressure, ensuring the average flow rate remains comparable to manual insufflation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If automatic insufflation is performed with high flow rate to maintain constant pressure, then pressure stability is improved, but patient burden increases due to rapid pressure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs periodic insufflation cycles consisting of an insufflation step followed by a pressure detection step. The control device alternates between insufflating gas through the first insufflation conduit and stopping to detect pressure, creating a rhythmic pattern that prevents continuous rapid pressure increase while maintaining overall pressure stability. This periodic action resolves the contradiction by making the insufflation process less harmful to the patient while preserving pressure control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the insufflation flow rate based on real-time pressure feedback. The control device modifies the duration and intensity of each insufflation step according to the detected pressure values, creating a adaptive control mechanism. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain pressure stability while preventing excessive pressure increases that would burden the patient.
2Productivity
If automatic insufflation uses continuous high flow rate, then pressure control efficiency is improved, but operability similarity to manual insufflation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic insufflation cycles that include alternating phases of gas insufflation and pressure detection. By structuring the automatic insufflation as discrete cycles rather than continuous flow, the system creates an operational rhythm that mirrors manual insufflation patterns, thereby improving operability similarity while maintaining pressure control efficiency through automated timing and flow regulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device uses feedback from the pressure detecting device to regulate the insufflation process. The detected pressure values are fed back to adjust subsequent insufflation steps, creating a closed-loop control system. This feedback mechanism enables the automatic system to replicate the adaptive nature of manual insufflation, improving operability similarity while maintaining efficient pressure control.
3Ease of operation
If manual insufflation is used to allow fine pressure adjustment, then operability is improved, but operational burden increases due to frequent operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service pressure control through automatic insufflation. The control device autonomously performs pressure detection and adjusts gas flow accordingly, eliminating the need for the operator to continuously monitor and manually adjust pressure. This self-regulating mechanism reduces operational burden and time loss while preserving fine pressure adjustment capability through automated control algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic control system uses real-time feedback from pressure detection to automatically adjust insufflation flow rates. This closed-loop control eliminates the need for frequent manual interventions while maintaining precise pressure control. The feedback mechanism handles the repetitive adjustment tasks automatically, reducing operational burden while preserving the ability to achieve fine pressure adjustments.
4Productivity
If automatic insufflation flow rate is increased to reduce operation time, then productivity is improved, but pressure stability deteriorates due to rapid pressure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic insufflation cycles with alternating phases of gas delivery and pressure monitoring. By dividing continuous insufflation into discrete cycles, the system prevents runaway pressure increases while maintaining overall productivity. The periodic structure ensures that pressure stability is preserved through regular detection intervals, even as the overall operation time is reduced through efficient automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device uses real-time pressure feedback to dynamically regulate insufflation flow rates during each cycle. When pressure approaches target levels, the system automatically reduces or pauses flow, preventing overshoot and instability. This feedback-controlled approach maintains pressure stability while optimizing operation time by eliminating the need for conservative, slow insufflation rates.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an insufflation system and an insufflation apparatus which can prevent a pressure inside a lumen from rapidly increasing and can achieve operability matched to a sense of an operator. When the operator operates an air/water supply button of the endoscope, the gas is insufflated into a gastrointestinal tract of a patient through an internal conduit of the endoscope (manual insufflation). Meanwhile, the insufflation apparatus is connected to an insertion assisting tool which guides the endoscope into the gastrointestinal tract. When the insufflation apparatus automatically performs insufflation, the gas is intermittently insufflated into the gastrointestinal tract of the patient so as to maintain the pressure inside the gastrointestinal tract at the set pressure (automatic insufflation). The average flow rate of the gas in the automatic insufflation is set to be less than or equal to the insufflation flow rate in the manual insufflation.