Nasal Cannula Interface With Flexible Side Arms for Stable Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient interfaces face stability issues due to varying facial geometries and external forces, leading to dislodgment and compromised therapy delivery.
Innovation Solution
A patient interface with a body portion featuring varying flexibility along its length, including compensation regions and a bridge portion isolated from forces, and side arms with predefined points for flexure or bending to accommodate these changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the patient interface is made rigid to maintain stable position, then stability is improved, but comfort and adaptability to facial movements deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patient interface is divided into distinct segments with different mechanical properties: a rigid bridge portion for stability and flexible side arms for adaptability. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the patient interface have different flexibility characteristics. The bridge portion is designed to be rigid while the side arms are designed to be flexible, creating local quality variations that optimize both stability and comfort.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the patient interface is made flexible to accommodate facial movements, then comfort is improved, but stability and therapy delivery integrity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The interface is segmented into flexible side arms for comfort and a rigid bridge portion for reliable therapy delivery. This ensures that flexibility does not compromise the integrity of gas delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge portion acts as an intermediary element that connects the flexible side arms while maintaining structural integrity and isolating the nasal prongs from external forces, ensuring reliable therapy delivery.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the bridge portion is isolated from forces to maintain stability, then position stability is improved, but force transmission and responsiveness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge portion serves as a force-isolating intermediary that protects the nasal prongs from external forces while maintaining their stable position, preventing force transmission that could dislodge them.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge portion is extracted as a separate force-isolating element that removes the transmission of destabilizing forces from the nasal prongs, allowing them to maintain stable positioning.
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
Enhances stability and maintains effective therapy delivery by accommodating facial movements and external forces, improving comfort and usability.
Implementation Method 1
a cross section of the passageway varies along the length of the body portion to provide regions of varying flexibility along the body portion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2G
Figure 2D~2E
AI summary
A patient interface, such as a nasal cannula is described. The patient interface has a body portion to be located, in-use upon a face of a user. The body portion has at least one side arm that extends laterally from a central bridge portion to be located about a user's septum region, where each side arm is connected to a resilient, or relatively more rigid, bridge portion element. The interface has at least one, and preferably a pair of, nasal prong(s). The body portion has at least one fluid passageway connected to the nasal prong(s) for supply of a gas to the nare(s) of the user's nose. A cross section of the passageway varies along the length of the body portion to regions of varying flexibility along the body portion. The bridge portion element defines a substantially predetermined spatial relationship for outlet(s) of a gas delivery system supplying gas via each side arm to the outlet(s) from which, for example, the nasal prong(s) may be provided in fluid connection. Each side arm may comprise one or more predefined or predisposed points or localised compensation regions (or sites) positioned along the side arm, or a side arm element, to accommodate or facilitate a compensation of the patient interface in or at one or more of the compensation regions (or sites).