Injectable Soft-Tissue Augmentation for Plantar Fat Pad Atrophy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Age-related atrophy of soft tissues in the feet, particularly the plantar fat pad, leads to painful conditions such as corns and calluses, which can result in ulceration and infection, especially in individuals with peripheral vascular disease or diabetes.
Innovation Solution
An injectable composition comprising a soft-tissue augmenting agent, such as saline and micronized dermis, or hydrolyzed collagen, combined with a vehicle like water or saline, is used to augment soft tissues, including the plantar fat pad, using a syringe and optional targeting arm for precise delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soft tissue augmentation is performed to treat atrophy, then pain is reduced and tissue breakdown is prevented, but the complexity of the treatment system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The treatment system is segmented into separate functional components: a syringe for delivery, a targeting arm for positioning, and an injectable composition with specific formulation requirements. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while working together to achieve the therapeutic effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary targeting arm that connects the syringe to the injection site. This intermediary device provides precise positioning and control during the injection process, thereby improving the reliability of pain reduction and tissue breakdown prevention while managing the overall system complexity through a modular approach.
2Manufacturing precision
If precise delivery of injectable composition is achieved using targeting arm, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The targeting arm is designed to be attached to the syringe in advance, pre-configuring the delivery system for precise positioning. This preliminary assembly ensures that when the injection is administered, the precision requirements are already met through the pre-positioned targeting mechanism, improving delivery precision without requiring complex real-time control systems.
3Reliability
If injectable composition includes multiple components (augmenting agent and vehicle), then soft tissue augmentation effectiveness is improved, but formulation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The injectable composition is formulated as a composite material combining multiple components: soft tissue augmenting agents (such as hyaluronic acid, collagen, or fat cells) suspended in a vehicle (such as saline or buffered solution). This composite formulation improves the reliability of soft tissue augmentation effectiveness by providing both the active augmenting agents and the appropriate delivery medium in a single injectable composition.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is an injectable composition including, in some embodiments, a soft-tissue augmenting agent and a vehicle for the soft-tissue augmenting agent formulated for augmenting one or more soft tissues of a human or animal. Also provided herein is a soft-tissue augmenting kit including, in some embodiments, a syringe and the injectable composition formulated for augmenting one or more soft tissues of a human or animal. Also provided herein is a method for augmenting one or more soft tissues of a human or animal including, in some embodiments, injecting the injectable composition into the one or more soft tissues of the human or animal.