Medical Patch Placement Device with Anatomical Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current nerve stimulation devices, such as IPGs, are invasive, consume significant power due to increased impedance, and often stimulate unintended nerves, leading to inefficiencies and the need for frequent battery replacement or recharging.
Innovation Solution
A medical patch placement device with a handle, adjustable sacral cup, and swinging gate that uses anatomical alignment markers and magnets to precisely position patches on the body, along with a remote control for signal adjustment, to ensure accurate and efficient nerve stimulation with minimal power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If IPG devices are used for nerve stimulation, then nerve stimulation effectiveness is improved, but invasiveness increases and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the traditional single IPG device into separate components: a reusable controller and disposable medical patches. This segmentation allows the invasive implantable component to be minimized to just the controller, while the stimulatory function is moved to external patches, reducing overall invasiveness while maintaining stimulation effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the battery and electrode components from the implantable IPG device and places them in external disposable patches. This extraction eliminates the need for invasive battery implantation and allows for non-invasive nerve stimulation while preserving the therapeutic effectiveness of the stimulation.
2Reliability
If IPG devices are used for nerve stimulation, then nerve stimulation effectiveness is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs disposable medical patches that contain batteries and electrodes. These patches are used for a limited duration (typically one week) and then discarded. This approach eliminates the need for recharging or replacing expensive implantable batteries, significantly reducing power consumption management complexity and cost while maintaining continuous effective nerve stimulation.
3Reliability
If IPG devices are used for nerve stimulation, then nerve stimulation effectiveness is improved, but the electric field spreads widely affecting untargeted nerves
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses small, localized electrodes on the medical patches that are positioned directly over the target nerve. This localized electrode configuration creates a focused electric field that stimulates only the intended nerve, preventing spread to adjacent or unintended nerves. The small size and precise positioning of the electrodes ensure that the electric field energy is concentrated at the target site rather than dispersing widely.
4Ease of operation
If medical patches are applied by patients without assistance, then ease of operation is improved, but placement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables patients to independently apply and remove medical patches without requiring assistance from healthcare providers. The patches are designed with user-friendly features including clear anatomical landmarks, tactile feedback mechanisms, and simple application procedures that allow patients to achieve accurate placement themselves, combining ease of operation with acceptable precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The medical patches incorporate visual indicators such as colored landmarks or contrasting patterns that guide patients in correctly positioning the patch over the target nerve. These visual cues enhance placement accuracy by making anatomical landmarks easily distinguishable, allowing patients to achieve precise placement through self-observation rather than requiring professional assistance.
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
Enables precise, non-invasive, and repeatable placement of medical patches for nerve stimulation and drug delivery, reducing power consumption and minimizing stimulation of unintended nerves, allowing patients to self-apply patches accurately and efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
The placement device includes at least one magnet attached to the flexible diaphragm that is adapted to magnetically attract a portion of the medical patch
Data Source
AI summary
A placement device for a medical patch includes an alignment guide having a shaft with a first end having a first anatomical alignment marker and a second end having a second anatomical alignment marker, a swinging gate both pivotally and rotationally coupled with the first end of the shaft for selectively pivoting the gate toward and away from the shaft and rotating the gate between opposite sides of the shaft, whereby the gate has first and second major faces and a first opening extending through the gate between the first and second major faces. The placement device includes a spacer for selectively adjusting spacing between the gate and the first end of the shaft, and a flexible diaphragm having a flexible dome disposed within the first gate opening. At least one magnet is located in the center of the flexible dome for holding the medical patch within the flexible dome.