Medical Article Anchoring System for Secure Catheter Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for securing medical articles to patients, such as tubes for draining or inserting fluids, often lead to skin excoriation and bacterial growth due to frequent tape changes, and are cumbersome for healthcare providers to apply, especially while wearing gloves.
Innovation Solution
An anchoring system comprising a retainer with a channel and a movably retained second member that contacts the medical article to inhibit longitudinal movement, or a securement device with a guideway and actuator to securely position the article, or a method using a retainer with openings and an engaging piece to secure the article relative to the patient.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tape is used to secure the tube to the patient, then the tube can be secured to the patient, but the skin becomes excoriated and contaminated requiring frequent tape changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the tape component from the securement system entirely, replacing it with a retainer device that secures the catheter through mechanical engagement with the patient's anatomy (e.g., around the thigh or torso) rather than adhesive contact with the skin. This extraction of the harmful adhesive element eliminates skin excoriation and contamination while maintaining securement reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer acts as an intermediary device between the catheter and the patient's body, providing securement through a mechanical structure that distributes force across a larger anatomical landmark rather than concentrating adhesive stress on the skin. This intermediary mechanism prevents direct harmful contact between the securement system and the skin surface.
2Reliability
If tape is frequently changed to prevent contamination, then bacterial growth is inhibited, but more time is spent on application and removal procedures
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the tape component entirely and replacing it with a reusable retainer device, the system eliminates the need for frequent changes. The retainer can be maintained in place for extended periods without compromising hygiene, thereby eliminating the time-consuming cycle of repeated application and removal while maintaining bacterial growth inhibition.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer provides sufficient securement and hygiene maintenance through its mechanical design alone, without requiring the supplementary action of frequent tape changes. This partial action (using only the retainer) replaces the excessive action (repeated tape application and removal) needed in the conventional system.
3Reliability
If tape is applied while wearing gloves, then infection risk to healthcare providers is reduced, but the taping procedure becomes difficult and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the taping procedure entirely by removing the tape component from the system. The retainer device is applied through a different mechanism that does not require the dexterity and manipulation needed for tape application, making the procedure equally effective while wearing gloves and significantly easier to perform.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying adhesive tape through manual manipulation (which is difficult with gloves), the retainer uses a mechanical application method that may involve snapping, clicking, or simple positioning actions. This inverted approach to securement application reverses the difficulty inherent in glove-based tape manipulation.
4Device complexity
If conventional taping methods are used, then the procedure is simple in concept, but valuable time is spent on applying and reapplying tape
Solution Approach 1:
While the retainer device introduces some structural complexity compared to simple tape, it eliminates the need for repeated application and removal cycles. The initial application time is offset by the elimination of subsequent maintenance procedures, resulting in net time savings despite the increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the fundamental parameter of securement duration from short-term (requiring frequent changes) to long-term (single application). This parameter change in operational duration transforms the time investment from recurring small intervals to a single larger initial investment, reducing total time spent over the catheter's lifespan.
Data Source
AI summary
A retainer comprises a first member and a second member. The first member can define at least a portion of a channel. The channel can have a longitudinal axis and be configured to receive at least a portion of a medical article. The second member can be moveable with respect to the first member, between locked and unlocked positions. The second member can contact the portion of the medical article received by the channel at least when in the locked position so as to inhibit longitudinal movement of the medical article relative to the retainer.