Organ Container With Uneven Insulating Sheet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing organ transplant techniques face challenges in maintaining organ temperature during transplantation, leading to potential warm ischemic states due to exposure to recipient body temperature or external temperatures, and existing insulation methods may cause the organ to slip or come off during procedures.
Innovation Solution
An organ container with a pouch-shaped insulating sheet having an uneven inner surface with linear projections, such as square or semicircular shapes, to securely hold the organ and prevent slipping, while maintaining temperature control through heat insulation and preservation solution retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a smooth insulating sheet is used to wrap the organ, then heat insulation is provided, but the organ may slip or come off during transplantation procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating sheet is provided with local unevenness (protrusions and recesses) on its inner surface that contacts the organ. This local structural variation creates mechanical interlocking between the sheet and organ surface, preventing slippage while maintaining overall heat insulation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner surface of the insulating sheet features curved protrusions and recesses rather than sharp angles. These curved surfaces conform to the organic shape of transplanted organs, providing both secure mechanical retention and uniform thermal contact without causing pressure concentration points.
2Temperature
If ice or cooling materials are placed in the abdominal cavity to maintain organ temperature, then the organ temperature is kept low, but the surgeon's fingertips are also cooled making precise vascular anastomosis difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is extracted from the general abdominal cavity environment and concentrated into a localized preservation solution container that directly contacts only the organ. This allows selective cooling of the organ while leaving the surrounding surgical field at normal temperature for surgeon comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
A preservation solution acts as an intermediary cooling medium between the cooling source and the organ. The solution absorbs and transfers heat away from the organ through controlled conduction, providing efficient cooling while allowing the surgeon to operate in a thermally comfortable environment.
3Ease of operation
If the organ is exposed during transplantation procedures, then vascular anastomosis can be performed, but the organ temperature rises causing warm ischemic state
Solution Approach 1:
The organ is nested within a pouch-shaped insulating sheet that has an opening for surgical access. This nested structure allows the organ to remain thermally insulated while providing a controlled opening for vascular anastomosis procedures, maintaining both temperature control and surgical accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating sheet is made of flexible material that can be draped over the organ and sealed to create a closed thermal environment, yet allows surgical instruments to pass through designated openings for vascular anastomosis without compromising the thermal insulation barrier.
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 organ container effectively suppresses temperature rises and reduces the risk of warm ischemic states by maintaining organ temperature and preventing slipping or exposure during transplantation, thereby enhancing the precision and success of vascular anastomosis procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a sheet having a heat insulation function is inserted between the recipient and the organ to suppress a temperature rise in the organ
Implementation Method 2
an uneven shape of the inner surface of the insulating sheet suppresses slipping or coming off of the organ from the insulating sheet
Implementation Method 3
a preservation solution for cooling to be held in the interstices between the organ and the inner surface of the insulating sheet. This further suppresses a temperature rise in the organ
Data Source
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AI summary
An organ container (1) includes an opening (20) that allows passage of an organ to be transplanted and a pouch-shaped insulating sheet (10) to hold the organ. The insulating sheet has an inner surface of an uneven shape including a plurality of projections (41). This uneven shape suppresses slipping or coming off of the organ from the insulating sheet. Accordingly, it is possible to stably hold the organ in the insulating sheet and to suppress a temperature rise in the organ caused by the body temperature of a recipient or the outside air temperature. A plurality of insertion holes (21) for a drawstring (30) may be arranged along the edge of the opening.