Multi-Lumen Tubing for Wound Exudate Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wound care technologies, such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), face limitations in efficacy when healing stalls or contraindications like infection develop, and there is a need for improved devices to enhance patient outcomes, especially for patients with limited mobility or clinical support.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring multi-lumen tubing with a double wall containment structure and a connector system that includes a hydrophobic filter and absorbent material to separate and collect waste gases and liquids from wounds, facilitating efficient removal and storage of exudates through negative pressure and oxygen delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If NPWT is used to treat wounds, then wound healing is accelerated through exudate removal and edema reduction, but limited efficacy occurs when healing stalls or infection develops
Solution Approach 1:
The device combines multiple wound care functions into a single integrated system that can deliver oxygen therapy, perform negative pressure wound therapy, and collect exudates. This multi-functional approach allows the same device to adapt to different wound conditions and treatment stages, improving both reliability and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates waste gas and exudate collection into distinct lumens and chambers, allowing independent management of different waste streams. This segmentation enables tailored treatment approaches for different wound conditions while maintaining a unified device structure.
2Reliability
If multi lumen tubing with double wall containment is used, then exudate collection and transport is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The double wall containment structure nests one lumen within another, with the inner wall forming a second lumen inside the outer wall's first lumen. This nested configuration achieves complex multi-chamber functionality while minimizing the overall space required and reducing structural complexity compared to separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functions (exudate collection, waste gas venting, oxygen delivery) are merged into a single multi-lumen tubing structure. This consolidation improves reliability by ensuring all functions are integrated and coordinated, while the unified structure reduces the number of separate components needed.
3Reliability
If hydrophobic filter is positioned in the bore, then gas permeable and liquid impermeable barrier is formed, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic filter is pre-positioned and secured within the bore during manufacturing, establishing the gas-liquid barrier before the device is assembled and deployed. This preliminary action ensures proper filter positioning and eliminates the need for precise field adjustments, reducing manufacturing precision requirements while maintaining separation effectiveness.
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 effectively separates and collects waste gases and liquids, enhancing wound care by improving exudate removal and storage, thereby potentially improving patient outcomes and expanding access to effective treatments for patients with mobility or support limitations.
Implementation Method 1
A hydrophobic filter may be positioned in the bore such that the hydrophobic filter forms a gas permeable and a liquid impermeable barrier between the second cavity and the first cavity
Implementation Method 2
The passage that fluidly connects the first lumen, the second lumen, and the bore extending between the first cavity and the second cavity may be configured and dimensioned to form a liquid-gas separator such that a liquid-gas mixture being conveyed from the first lumen to the second lumen changes flow direction abruptly to separate liquid from the liquid-gas mixture
Implementation Method 3
The second lumen may include a blind end. The second lumen may house absorbent material.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for transporting waste gases and liquid exudates from a wound. The device may include a multi lumen tubing and a connector for securing the multi lumen tubing to a fitting. The multi lumen tubing may include a double wall containment structure with a first lumen and a second lumen. The connector may include a body with a first cavity on one side, a second cavity on another side, and an interior wall located between the first cavity and the second cavity. The interior wall may form a projection in the second cavity. The projection may include an outer surface and a ledge adjacent the outer surface. The projection may cooperate with the multi lumen tubing to form a liquid-gas separator. The ledge may include a bore extending between the first cavity and the second cavity. The bore may house a gas permeable and a liquid impermeable barrier.