Lockable Hub Catheter Suture Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drainage catheters face challenges in securely maintaining the curved configuration for fluid drainage and safely removing the catheter without causing tissue damage, due to insecure suture management and difficulty in unwrapping the suture from the handle, leading to potential complications like tissue rupture or infection.
Innovation Solution
A drainage catheter with a locking mechanism using a depressible button to secure and release the suture, allowing the tip to flex and maintain the curved position for fluid drainage, and then reliably straighten for safe removal, featuring a lockable hub with a clamp member and a release wire for easy suture management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the suture is wrapped around the handle to maintain the curved configuration of the catheter tip, then the catheter can be held in position for fluid drainage, but the suture becomes difficult to unwrap for manipulation and removal of the catheter
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is segmented into a body and a removable cap, with the suture secured internally via a locking mechanism rather than externally wrapped. This allows the suture to be securely held during use and easily released by removing the cap when manipulation or removal is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A locking mechanism with a movable cap acts as an intermediary between the practitioner and the suture. The cap can be positioned to lock the suture in place during drainage, then moved or removed to facilitate easy unwrapping and catheter removal without direct manual manipulation of the suture itself.
2Ease of operation
If the suture is released to straighten the catheter tip for removal, then the catheter can be withdrawn, but the suture may remain in tensile configuration due to encrustation requiring additional invasive procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to completely release the suture tension when the cap is moved or removed, before the catheter removal process begins. This preliminary release action ensures the tip can straighten fully without residual tension from encrusted suture, avoiding the need for additional invasive procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism automatically and completely releases the suture when activated by moving the cap, without requiring additional manual manipulation or cutting. The mechanism serves itself by design to ensure full release, eliminating the need for invasive surgical intervention to remove encrusted sutures.
3Productivity
If the catheter tip is maintained in curved configuration during drainage, then fluid drainage is effective, but the catheter becomes difficult to remove without causing tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter tip is designed to be dynamically changeable between curved and straight configurations. During drainage, the tip maintains a curved configuration for effective fluid drainage. When removal is needed, the locking mechanism is activated to release the suture, allowing the tip to straighten dynamically, enabling safe withdrawal without tissue damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter tip changes its geometric parameter (curvature) based on the tension state of the suture. When the suture is taut, the tip is curved for drainage. When the suture is released by moving the cap, the tip parameter changes to straight, allowing safe removal without causing tissue damage.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A reversible lockable drainage catheter (10) for use in draining excess bodily fluid in a tissue having a catheter tube (12) with a proximal end (26) and a distal end (14), and a lockable hub (20) positioned about the catheter tube (12). A suture (18) of the drainage catheter (10) can be reversibly tensioned, and locked in the tensioned conformation by depressing one or more surfaces (22) of the lockable hub (20). The suture (18) can then be released also by depressing one or more surfaces (22) of the lockable hub (20), or by implementing one or more additional safety release mechanisms. For example, a safety release can be pulled in a proximal direction to release a tensioned suture (18). Similarly, the suture (18) can be tensioned to a point that stretches an attachment point of the drainage catheter tube (12), and also causes the suture (18) and safety release mechanism to disengage.