Modular Implantable Insulin Infusion System Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing implantable insulin infusion systems are cumbersome, inconvenient, and unreliable due to their large size, need for surgical implantation, frequent refilling, and susceptibility to insulin crystallization and protein blockage, which affects insulin release and requires complex maintenance procedures.
Innovation Solution
The system is divided into separate modules for receiving, storing, and releasing insulin, allowing for flexible spatial arrangement and placement under the skin, with a transcutaneous inlet port for easy refilling and a catheter design that prevents protein layer formation and crystallization, enabling contactless charging and reduced surgical burden.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single housing is used to contain the pump, container, and refill port, then the system structure is simple, but the housing requires large space and hinders daily activities of the patient
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate housings: a first housing containing the refill port and inlet, and a second housing containing the pump and container. This segmentation allows each housing to be smaller and more optimally shaped for its specific function, reducing the overall space requirement and improving patient comfort while maintaining structural simplicity through modular design.
2Reliability
If the inlet port is located deep in the body for implantation, then the system is well-protected, but locating and accessing the inlet port becomes difficult and tedious
Solution Approach 1:
The inlet port is positioned in the first housing which is implanted subcutaneously in the abdominal wall, creating a layered spatial arrangement. This allows the inlet port to be accessible from the skin surface while the pump and container remain deeper in the second housing, achieving both protection and accessibility through three-dimensional positioning.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the catheter outlet is fixed in position, then the system is stable, but protein layer formation and crystallization block the outlet, hindering insulin release
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is designed with flexibility to allow movement within the abdominal cavity while maintaining its functional position. The catheter can dynamically adjust its position to prevent protein layer formation and crystallization blockage, ensuring reliable insulin release while maintaining overall system stability through its ability to adapt to physiological movements.
4Quantity of substance
If a large dead volume space is present in the container, then more insulin can be stored, but it forms waste space requiring frequent refilling and leads to loss of expensive insulin
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed with optimized geometry to minimize dead volume while maintaining adequate storage capacity. By changing the dimensional parameters of the container shape and positioning the outlet strategically, the system reduces the waste space proportion, decreasing refilling frequency and insulin loss while preserving sufficient storage for extended use between refills.
Data Source
AI summary
A system to be implanted in a living body for supplying medical substance, such as insulin. The system has a first module (1) having an inlet port (5) for receiving a transcutaneous injection of the medical substance, a second module (2) having a reservoir for storing the medical substance; a first tube (3) allowing the medical substance to flow between the first module and the second module; and a catheter (4) for releasing the stored medical substance into the living body. The first tube (3) allows the first module and second module to be implanted at different locations in the living body.