Pharyngeal Stimulation Tube With Antimicrobial Secretion Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Dysphagia, a condition causing difficulty in swallowing, leads to complications such as aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and increased healthcare costs, with existing treatments being inadequate.
Innovation Solution
Electrical stimulation devices are used to stimulate nerves near the pharynx, promoting neuroplasticity and reorganization of brain centers controlling swallowing, while also delivering therapeutic agents to prevent pathogen colonization and remove pharyngeal substances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical stimulation is applied to treat dysphagia, then swallowing function is improved, but the risk of pathogen colonization and aspiration pneumonia increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines electrical stimulation therapy with antimicrobial therapy in a single integrated device. The device includes both stimulation electrodes and an antimicrobial agent delivery system, allowing simultaneous treatment of swallowing dysfunction and prevention of pathogen colonization in the pharynx.
Solution Approach 2:
The device serves multiple functions: it provides electrical stimulation to improve swallowing motor function, delivers antimicrobial agents to prevent pathogen colonization, and monitors treatment effectiveness. This multi-functional approach addresses both the swallowing dysfunction and the associated infection risk.
2Ease of operation
If existing dysphagia treatments are used, then swallowing difficulty is addressed, but comprehensive prevention of complications like aspiration pneumonia is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges rehabilitation therapy (electrical stimulation) with preventive therapy (antimicrobial delivery) into a single treatment protocol and device. This combination ensures that while swallowing function is being rehabilitated, the patient is simultaneously protected against complications like aspiration pneumonia.
Solution Approach 2:
The device delivers antimicrobial agents proactively to the pharynx before pathogens can establish significant colonization. This preliminary preventive action occurs concurrently with the electrical stimulation treatment, ensuring protection is in place before complications can develop.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods configured to treat disease using electrical stimulation and therapeutic agents are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, a device of the present technology comprises a first elongated shaft configured to deliver supplemental nutrition to a patient suffering from dysphagia and a second elongated shaft configured to slidably receive the first elongated shaft. The second elongated shaft can include one or more conductive elements configured to deliver electrical stimulation to nerves at a first treatment site in a pharynx of the patient. In some embodiments, the second elongated shaft includes one or more therapeutic elements carrying a therapeutic agent configured to be positioned at or adjacent a second treatment site with a pooled secretion in the patient's pharynx. The therapeutic agent can be configured to prevent or inhibit colonization of the pooled secretion by one or more pathogens. In some embodiments, the second elongated shaft includes a lumen fluidically coupled to an aperture extending through a sidewall of the elongated shaft. The aperture can be configured to be positioned at or adjacent the second treatment site with the pooled secretion. The lumen and aperture can be configured to transport fluid therethrough along a longitudinal dimension of the device to deliver a therapeutic agent to the second treatment site and/or withdraw the pooled secretion from the second treatment site into the lumen.