Magnetic Pump System for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wound treatment technologies, such as topical negative pressure (TNP) therapy, face challenges in efficiently managing wound exudate and maintaining a stable environment for healing, particularly in 'hard to heal' wounds, where tissue edema, bacterial load, and fluid management are critical factors.
Innovation Solution
The development of a pump system with magnetic actuators and flexible membranes that create a negative pressure environment, allowing for controlled fluid aspiration and retention, integrated into a wound dressing or as a standalone unit, to enhance wound healing by reducing tissue edema, promoting blood flow, and minimizing bacterial load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a pump system is integrated into the wound dressing for TNP therapy, then fluid management and negative pressure control are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump system is integrated directly into the wound dressing assembly, combining the pumping function with the dressing structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate external pumping equipment, thereby improving fluid management reliability while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump chamber serves multiple functions: it generates negative pressure, manages fluid aspiration, and controls exudate removal. This multi-functionality consolidates several therapeutic actions into a single integrated component, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Ease of operation
If magnetic actuators are used to drive the pump chamber, then ease of operation and control are improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical actuation system is replaced with magnetic actuators that generate magnetic fields to move the pump chamber walls. This substitution eliminates complex mechanical linkages and moving parts, improving ease of operation through magnetic field control while the precision requirements are managed through careful design of the magnetic actuator geometry and positioning.
3Adaptability or versatility
If flexible membranes are used to define the pump chamber, then adaptability to different wound sizes is improved, but structural strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump chamber is defined by flexible membranes instead of rigid walls. These flexible membranes allow the chamber to adapt its shape and volume to accommodate different wound sizes and geometries, improving adaptability. The membranes are designed with sufficient structural integrity through material selection and thickness optimization to maintain the necessary structural strength for pump operation.
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
The system effectively reduces tissue edema, promotes granulation tissue formation, and minimizes bacterial load, leading to faster wound healing and reduced infection risk, while being compact and adaptable for various wound sizes and types.
Implementation Method 1
One or both of the first and second magnetic actuators is an electromagnet that is actuatable to generate a magnetic field that applies a force on one of both of the first and second magnetic actuators
Implementation Method 2
One or both of the first and second magnetic actuators is an electromagnet that is actuatable to generate a magnetic field
Implementation Method 3
The pump chamber is defined by a first membrane and a second membrane, the membranes both made of a flexible material and configured to move toward each other when the pump chamber moves toward the collapsed position
Data Source
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AI summary
A device and method for treating a wound of a patient with negative pressure is provided. The device comprises a pump chamber that has at least one moveable side of the chamber. The moveable side moves between an intake stroke and an exhaust stroke upon application of an electrical potential. Fluid is drawn into the pump chamber during the intake stroke and expelled from the pump chamber during the exhaust stroke. The pump system may have a magnetic or a piezoelectric element that drives the movement of the pump chamber side.