Adjustable Placket Closure for Secure Central Line Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical garments and wraps are ineffective at securing central venous access devices (CVADs) in children, leading to high failure rates and increased risk of line trauma, while adaptive clothing for differently-abled individuals faces challenges with traditional fasteners like zippers and snaps.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable placket closure system with releasable and fixed fasteners allows easy access to medical tubes without disturbing the device's placement, featuring a placket with slits and fasteners that can be selectively released to accommodate medical tubing, ensuring secure fit and easy access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional medical garments and wraps are used to secure central lines, then the device provides basic coverage, but the garment is ineffective at preventing line trauma and dislodgement
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is divided into fixed portions that remain attached to maintain garment integrity and releasable portions that can be easily detached to access the medical tube. This segmentation allows the garment to provide secure coverage while enabling quick access without compromising line security or requiring full garment removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener transitions from a static conventional closure to a dynamic system with selectively releasable portions. This allows the garment to adapt between a secure closed state for line protection and an open state for tube access, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If traditional fasteners like zippers and snaps are used in adaptive clothing, then the garment can be closed securely, but the fasteners are difficult to manipulate for differently-abled individuals
Solution Approach 1:
The complex manipulation mechanism of traditional fasteners (zippers, snaps) is extracted and replaced with a simplified fastening system. The releasable portions can be easily detached and reattached without requiring the coordinated hand movements needed for conventional fasteners, making the garment accessible to differently-abled individuals while maintaining secure closure.
3Reliability
If the garment is securely fitted to a restless child, then line security is improved, but accessing the medical tube requires removing or disturbing the garment placement
Solution Approach 1:
The releasable portions of the fasteners are pre-positioned to allow quick detachment without requiring full garment removal. This preliminary arrangement of the fastening system enables rapid access to the medical tube while the child remains securely fitted in the garment, eliminating the time loss associated with disturbing garment placement.
4Ease of operation
If the fastener is made fully releasable to allow easy access, then accessibility is improved, but the garment may become loose or misplaced
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener system has differentiated local qualities with fixed portions that provide stable anchoring to maintain garment positioning, and releasable portions that enable easy access. This local differentiation allows the garment to remain securely positioned while providing accessible tube access without compromising overall stability.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable placket closure system is attached to a device at a placket formed in the material of the device. First and second fasteners of the closure system attach to the first and second sides of the placket at the placket opening, and each may include releasable portion(s) and fixed portion(s) thereof. The releasable portions of the fasteners are selectively released from the placket sides to provide access beneath the device without disengaging the fixed portions, opening the entire placket or removing the device. The device may be a medical device or garment. An access slit provided in the garment accommodates a medical tube apparatus, such as a central line, and passes the tube through the garment. This system may further be used on other materials and containers beyond garments, such as adaptive clothing and bags.