Microparticle Delivery Mixer for Consistent Slow IV Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing delivery devices struggle to administer microparticles, such as yttrium-90 labeled glass or resin-based microparticles, at a slow and consistent rate due to settling issues and require high flow rates to fluidize microparticles, leading to inconsistent concentrations.
Innovation Solution
A delivery device with a fluid mixer that combines independent flows of a transport medium and a displacement medium, allowing controlled administration of microparticles through a T-junction or Y-junction, ensuring consistent delivery rates by adjusting the flow rates of both mediums.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If microparticles with substantially higher density than injection medium are used, then microparticles settle together making injection difficult, but using lower density microparticles reduces settling issues
Solution Approach 1:
The injection medium flow is segmented into two independent streams: a first injection medium stream and a second injection medium stream. This segmentation allows each stream to be controlled independently, with the first stream providing consistent carrier flow and the second stream providing additional medium to maintain concentration consistency without requiring high overall flow rates that would fluidize dense microparticles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the flow rate parameters of the two injection medium streams independently to achieve optimal microparticle delivery. By adjusting the first injection medium flow rate and second injection medium flow rate separately, the system maintains consistent microparticle concentration while using lower total flow rates than traditional single-stream systems, avoiding fluidization of dense microparticles.
2Productivity
If high flow rate of injection medium is used to fluidize microparticles, then microparticles can be carried along to patient, but injection medium shows inconsistent concentrations of microparticles
Solution Approach 1:
The independent control of two injection medium streams provides implicit feedback control for microparticle concentration. By separately regulating the first and second injection medium flow rates, the system can maintain consistent microparticle concentration in the mixed stream without relying on high flow rates for fluidization, thus achieving both productivity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection medium is segmented into two independently controlled streams that are combined to deliver microparticles. This segmentation allows precise control over the mixing ratio and flow rates, ensuring consistent microparticle concentration while maintaining adequate delivery rate without requiring high overall flow rates that cause fluidization.
3Reliability
If slow injection rate is used to administer microparticles consistently, then patient safety improves, but microparticles settle together making injection difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The injection system is segmented into two independent medium streams that can be controlled at different flow rates. This allows the combined system to maintain slow overall injection rate for safety and consistency while each individual stream contributes to preventing microparticle settling through optimized flow characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the flow rate parameters of the two injection medium streams independently to achieve optimal balance between slow consistent administration and prevention of microparticle settling. By adjusting the first and second injection medium flow rates separately, the system maintains reliability while ensuring injection feasibility.
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 slow and consistent intravenous administration of microparticles, maintaining controlled concentrations and reducing the risk of inconsistent delivery, even with microparticles of varying densities.
Implementation Method 1
flowing a second injection medium into the third arm of the fluid mixer, where the second injection medium fluidly drives microparticles that are loaded in an elongate housing into the first injection medium
Implementation Method 2
Fluidized microparticles are carried along with the injection medium to the patient
Data Source
AI summary
A delivery device for intravenous delivery of microparticles to a patient. The delivery device is fluidly connectable to (i) a first source of an injection medium and (ii) a second source of an injection medium. The delivery device includes: a first fluid inlet fluidly connectable to the first source of the injection medium, a fluid outlet, a fluid mixer fluidly connecting the first fluid inlet to the fluid outlet, a second fluid inlet fluidly connectable to the second source of the injection medium, and a source of microparticles fluidly connecting the second fluid inlet to the fluid mixer. When fluid flows from the second source of the injection medium into the delivery device: the second injection medium fluidly drives microparticles from the source of microparticles into the fluid mixer, and the fluid outlet dispenses to the patient an injection medium that includes the microparticles.