Intranasal Catheter with Sensor Feedback for SPG Targeting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Patients with severe headaches and facial pain, such as cluster headaches, face challenges in accessing timely and effective treatment due to the difficulty in administering local anesthetics to the sphenopalatine ganglion without a trained medical professional, leading to delayed or inadequate pain relief.
Innovation Solution
A self-administered intranasal delivery device equipped with sensors, feedback mechanisms, and automated steering capabilities, allowing patients to safely and accurately position and deliver medicaments, such as lidocaine, directly to the sphenopalatine ganglion region, enabling on-demand pain relief without professional intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a trained medical professional administers the anesthetic using a cotton-tipped applicator or nasal catheter, then the medicament can be delivered to the SPG, but the treatment requires professional skill and experience and cannot be performed by patients in a home setting
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables patients to self-administer medicament to the SPG without requiring a trained medical professional. The system includes a catheter with sensors that detect anatomical landmarks and automatically navigate to the target location, allowing the patient to perform the procedure independently at home.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical insertion method (relying on physician skill) with an automated system using sensors, feedback mechanisms, and computer control to guide the catheter to the correct position. This substitution of mechanical skill with automated sensing and control systems enables reliable self-administration.
2Measurement precision
If conventional methods are used without automated guidance, then the device structure can be simple, but the patient cannot safely and accurately position the catheter without professional training
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates sensors that detect anatomical landmarks and provide real-time feedback on catheter position. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor and adjust the catheter location automatically, ensuring precise positioning without requiring complex manual manipulation or professional expertise.
3Loss of time
If a physician performs the nerve block procedure, then effective pain relief can be achieved, but patients experiencing severe pain are typically unable to travel to a physician's office before the pain intensifies
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables patients to self-administer medicament to the SPG without requiring a trained medical professional. The system includes a catheter with sensors that detect anatomical landmarks and automatically navigate to the target location, allowing the patient to perform the procedure independently at home.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows patients to treat themselves immediately at home before pain escalates, eliminating the delay associated with traveling to a physician's office. The system is designed for immediate use during the early stages of headache or facial pain.
4Extent of automation
If manual insertion method is used, then the device can be simple and portable, but the success of treatment depends heavily on the skill and experience of the physician
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical insertion method (relying on physician skill) with an automated system using sensors, feedback mechanisms, and computer control to guide the catheter to the correct position. This substitution of mechanical skill with automated sensing and control systems enables reliable self-administration.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables patients to self-administer medicament to the SPG without requiring a trained medical professional. The system includes a catheter with sensors that detect anatomical landmarks and automatically navigate to the target location, allowing the patient to perform the procedure independently at home.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A intranasal device and method for self-administration of a medicament are provided. The intranasal device includes a body, a catheter, a feedback mechanism, and a delivery system. The body has a chamber configured to store the medicament. The body defines a channel that extends from an interior of the body to an exterior of the body. The catheter is configured to be actuated to extend from the body through the channel and is in fluid communication with the chamber. A distal end of the catheter is configured for entry into a nasal passage of a patient. The feedback mechanism is configured to indicate a position of the distal end of the catheter within the nasal passage. The delivery system is configured to deliver the medicament from the chamber into the nasal passage via the catheter.