Lung Preservation Oxygen Sensing Under Pressure-Regulated Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for preserving and transporting bodily tissue, particularly lungs, face challenges such as limited viability due to insufficient oxygen levels, tissue damage from pressure changes during transport, and inefficient storage geometry, leading to decreased graft survival rates and wasted tissue.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing an electronic pump and mechanical pressure regulator to maintain constant lung pressure, combined with sterile containers and nested bags, along with cooling and humidification, to stabilize pressure and oxygen levels, and replicate the anatomical orientation of lungs during transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If lungs are inflated with air and sealed during transport, then lung volume is maintained for structural integrity, but pressure changes during flight cause overinflation and tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static lung inflation to dynamic pressure regulation. A pressure regulator continuously adjusts the pressure of gas introduced into the lung to compensate for changing ambient pressures during transport, maintaining constant differential pressure across the lung tissue and preventing barotrauma while preserving structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates pressure sensors that continuously monitor the pressure differential across the lung tissue and feed this information back to the pressure regulator. This closed-loop feedback control enables real-time adjustment of inflation pressure to match changing external conditions, preventing both overinflation and collapse.
2Use of energy by moving object
If hypothermic temperatures are used to decrease oxygen demand, then tissue metabolism is reduced, but oxygen levels remain insufficient to meet decreased metabolic needs
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the chemical composition parameters of the gas environment by introducing oxygen-enriched gas mixtures (higher oxygen concentration than ambient air) into the storage container. This parameter change increases the partial pressure and concentration of oxygen available for tissue diffusion, thereby meeting the metabolic needs of hypothermic tissue without requiring higher temperatures.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If large hypothermic perfusion devices are used to supply oxygen, then tissue viability is prolonged, but device portability is limited due to size and resource requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and isolates only the essential function of oxygen delivery from complex perfusion machines. By using a simplified approach that introduces oxygen-enriched gas directly into the storage environment rather than requiring mechanical perfusion pumps, large gas reservoirs, and complex control systems, the solution achieves oxygen delivery with minimal equipment, dramatically improving portability while maintaining tissue viability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If donor tissue is transported via air to extend geographic reach, then recipient access is improved, but pressure changes during flight cause tissue damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by pre-establishing a pressure-regulated environment before transport begins. The pressure regulator is configured to anticipate and compensate for pressure changes associated with altitude variations, creating a buffered protective environment that cushions the tissue from harmful pressure differentials while enabling air transport to extended geographic locations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances tissue viability by maintaining optimal pressure and oxygen levels, preventing tissue damage, and improving graft survival rates through efficient transport and storage.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor configured to measure a concentration of oxygen in the lung
Implementation Method 2
a pump configured to deliver the oxygen to the lung when the concentration is below a threshold
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for maintaining an oxygen concentration of a biological sample. The oxygen concentration can be maintained by measuring the oxygen concentration within the biological sample and adjusting a rate of an oxygen supplier in response to this measurement. For example, when the oxygen concentration is below a threshold, oxygen can be delivered to the biological sample at a higher rate.