Medical Needle Placement Device with Sloped Guidance Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The buttonhole technique for dialysis treatments requires skilled practitioners to repeatedly insert sharp needles into the same puncture location at a consistent angle, which is challenging due to the need for precise alignment and insertion angle control.
Innovation Solution
A medical needle placement and insertion device with a base featuring positioning features and a needle guidance protrusion with a sloped surface, allowing for precise alignment and consistent needle insertion at a defined angle, facilitating the formation of buttonhole punctures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sharp needle is repeatedly inserted into the same puncture location by a skilled practitioner to form a buttonhole, then the buttonhole technique can be achieved which reduces pain and prevents AV fistula damage, but the procedure requires incredibly skilled practitioners and precise alignment control which is difficult to achieve consistently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a buttonhole formation device as an intermediary tool between the practitioner and the patient's skin. The device includes a positioning assembly with alignment features that guide the needle to the precise location and angle, and a buttonhole formation assembly that creates the tunnel. This intermediary device eliminates the need for the practitioner to manually achieve precise alignment through skill alone, making the buttonhole technique easier to perform consistently.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary actions by first positioning itself on the patient's skin using the positioning assembly with alignment features, then using the needle to create the initial puncture and tunnel before the actual dialysis needle insertion. The device pre-forms the buttonhole tunnel with a cannula or forming needle, so that the subsequent dialysis needle can be easily inserted through the pre-formed tunnel without requiring precise manual alignment each time.
2Measurement precision
If manual needle insertion is performed without a guiding device, then the practitioner has flexibility in operation, but the insertion location and angle cannot be consistently reproduced across multiple treatment sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct functional assemblies: a positioning assembly with alignment features for locating the insertion site, a needle guide assembly for controlling needle angle and direction, and a buttonhole formation assembly for creating the tunnel. Each assembly performs a specific function, making the overall device manageable despite its complexity. The segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific purpose while working together as an integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates three-dimensional positioning features including alignment markers that extend in multiple directions from the insertion site. The needle guide assembly controls the needle's path in three-dimensional space, ensuring precise angular orientation. The positioning assembly uses multiple alignment features distributed in different spatial dimensions to uniquely define the insertion location and orientation, providing precise control without requiring overly complex mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for positioning and inserting a medical needle assembly into a patient. The device includes a base configured to be placed adjacent to a needle insertion site on the patient which includes a plurality of positioning features configured to be used for positioning and aligning the device on the patient. The device includes a needle channel and a needle guidance protrusion disposed on the top of the base. The needle guidance protrusion includes a sloped surface having a first end disposed adjacent to the needle channel and a second end displaced from the first end and is sloped such that the second end is disposed higher than the first end. A needle assembly is configured to be pushed down the sloped surface such that the needle of the needle assembly travels through the needle channel to the needle insertion site.