Moldable Splint with Fluid-Filled Interior for Radiotherapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing splints and positioning devices for radiotherapy are either too hard and uncomfortable or lack the ability to be remolded, and current methods require extensive heating and cooling times, making them impractical for precise and repeatable patient positioning with high radiolucency.
Innovation Solution
A moldable splint with a hollow thermoplastic shell filled with a mixture of pellets and a thermoactive binder, which can be heated to conform to a body part and then cooled to retain its shape, providing increased radiolucency and the ability to be reheated for adjustments, while being comfortable and efficient in use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional thermoplastic splints are used for patient positioning, then positioning accuracy can be achieved, but the splints are too hard and uncomfortable for patient comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite material system consisting of a thermoplastic shell combined with a fluid-filled interior. The thermoplastic provides structural support and positioning accuracy, while the fluid (such as water or gel) provides conformability and comfort against the patient's body. This composite structure resolves the contradiction between hardness for positioning accuracy and softness for comfort.
2Ease of operation
If thermoplastic splints are heated for molding, then they become pliable and can be shaped, but extensive heating and cooling times are required making the process impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the splint into two separate components: a thermoplastic shell and a fluid-filled interior. The thermoplastic shell can be quickly heated and molded, while the fluid interior is pre-filled and requires no heating or cooling. This segmentation allows the thermoplastic portion to be processed rapidly without the time-consuming heating and cooling cycles required for traditional solid thermoplastic splints.
3Strength
If solid thermoplastic materials are used for splints, then structural support is provided, but radiolucency is reduced affecting radiotherapy applications
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces solid thermoplastic material with a fluid-filled interior (hydraulic principle). The fluid provides the necessary volume and structural support while being radiolucent, allowing radiotherapy beams to pass through with minimal attenuation. The thermoplastic shell maintains its structural integrity and support function, while the fluid interior ensures high radiolucency for radiotherapy applications.
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 splint offers improved comfort, flexibility, and efficiency in patient positioning with increased radiolucency, allowing for precise and repeatable positioning without the need for extensive heating and cooling times, and can be easily adjusted during treatment.
Implementation Method 1
the shell may be heated to a working temperature and molded to a body contour
Implementation Method 2
the splint may then be cooled to a set temperature to retain the molded shape
Implementation Method 3
a mixture of pellets and a thermoactive binder, which can be heated to conform to a body part and then cooled to retain its shape
Data Source
AI summary
A composite moldable splint and method for using the same is described. In some embodiments, the splint has at least a partially fluid-filled inner volume, which in some embodiments may include foam, rubber, water, or pelletized material, enclosed by a flexible liner, surrounded by a thermoplastic layer that is flexible and moldable when heated. The inner volume, which may include a thermoactive adhesive having differing viscosity characteristics at a plurality of temperatures, provides the ability to mold the cushion into a wide range of shapes and contours, such as when forming around a body part. The thermoplastic layer provides the ability of the cushion to be molded when heated, while the inner volume tends to maintain a shape, and allows the thermoplastic layer to stay in its formed shape as the cushion cools. The cushion may be used in a range of medical applications for stabilizing patients and body parts.