Modular Wound Therapy Training Model with Transparent Elastomeric Skin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wound therapy training aids fail to adequately simulate the complexities of wound care, including ease of use, efficiency in application, and proper drainage of exudates, lacking a reusable model that effectively mimics the skin and anatomical features necessary for realistic training.
Innovation Solution
A modular wound therapy device made from elastomeric materials with a transparent support tray, elastic insert, and conformable polymer simulating skin, incorporating a negative pressure source, sensors, and a peristaltic pump to recreate various wound conditions and treatment scenarios, allowing for realistic dressing application and pressure management training.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional training aids are used, then training can be conducted, but they fail to adequately simulate the complexities of wound care including skin texture, anatomical features, and therapy dynamics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a realistic copy of human skin and anatomical structures using transparent elastomeric materials that replicate the appearance, texture, and flexibility of real skin. The model includes a transparent base layer representing subcutaneous tissue, a skin layer with printed anatomical features, and a wound bed with simulated tissue, providing a visually and tactically authentic training experience without using actual human tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs materials with specific physical parameters including elastomeric polymers with controlled transparency, flexibility, and tensile strength to match human skin properties. The wound bed materials are selected to replicate the visual appearance and structural characteristics of real wound tissue, including color gradients, texture variations, and depth perception, thereby achieving parameter-level fidelity to actual wounds.
2Productivity
If a reusable training model is created, then training efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases due to multiple layers and components
Solution Approach 1:
The training model is divided into distinct reusable segments including a base layer representing subcutaneous tissue, a skin layer with anatomical features, a wound bed insert, and a dressing layer. Each segment can be independently assembled, configured for different wound scenarios, and reused across multiple training sessions, enhancing training efficiency while managing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent elastomeric base and skin layers serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, replicate anatomical appearance, allow visualization of underlying structures, and accommodate various wound bed inserts and dressings. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized models, improving training efficiency across different wound care scenarios.
3Loss of information
If transparent materials are used, then visualization of the dressing-wound bed interface is improved, but material selection and manufacturing become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selects transparent elastomeric materials with optimized optical parameters including transparency, refractive index, and thickness to maximize visualization of the dressing-wound bed interface while maintaining structural integrity and anatomical realism. The transparency allows trainees to observe fluid dynamics, dressing adherence, and interface characteristics that are critical for learning negative pressure and instillation therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The model combines transparent elastomeric materials with printed or embedded anatomical features, wound bed simulants, and dressing materials to create a composite structure that maintains transparency where visualization is needed while incorporating opaque or translucent elements to represent different tissue types and therapeutic components, balancing manufacturing feasibility with educational value.
4Reliability
If anatomical accuracy is enhanced, then training realism improves, but the device complexity and difficulty of assembly increase
Solution Approach 1:
Anatomically accurate features such as skin folds, contours, and wound boundaries are pre-formed or printed onto separate layers during manufacturing. These pre-configured anatomical elements can be easily assembled by aligning and bonding layers together, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining high anatomical accuracy for realistic training scenarios.
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 device provides a realistic simulation of wound therapy, enabling clinicians to practice dressing application and pressure management effectively, with real-time visualization and feedback on pressure levels and wound deformation, enhancing training efficiency and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
A negative pressure source is configured to be coupled to the dressing
Implementation Method 2
The device may further have a peristaltic pump that extrudes a liquid from within the base either in or around the wound bed
Implementation Method 3
The elastic insert may be made of a transparent rubber having a resiliency and compressibility intended to simulate a human body portion
Data Source
AI summary
A modular wound therapy training device, system, and method of use for the device are provided. The device may include a support tray, an elastic insert, a base within the elastic insert, a recess within the base, a conformable polymer, a dressing and a negative pressure source. The recess may be circumferentially smaller than the base and the conformable polymer may be sized to fit within the recess. The device is preferably sized and shaped to form a system when aligned and assembled with duplicates of the device. A method is provided to apply negative pressure and installation therapy when a negative pressure source is activated through a protective dressing.