Adaptable Plasma Generator for Percutaneous Access Decontamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
The risk of infection associated with percutaneous accesses and stomata is high due to the large surface area of the skin and entry points for pathogens, leading to complications such as abscesses and sepsis, and conventional disinfection methods are time-consuming, material-intensive, and can cause allergic reactions, especially when dealing with multi-resistant pathogens.
Innovation Solution
A device with a plasma generator that produces decontaminating plasma, featuring a treatment surface adaptable to percutaneous accesses or stomata, using cold atmospheric pressure plasma or dielectric barrier discharge to reduce infection risk and promote wound healing, minimizing the need for conventional disinfectants and reducing material and time expenditure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional disinfection methods are used, then infection risk is reduced to some extent, but the process is time-consuming and material-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical/chemical disinfection methods with a plasma-based system. The plasma generator creates reactive plasma species that achieve disinfection through chemical and biological mechanisms rather than mechanical wiping or conventional chemical application, thereby reducing time and material consumption while maintaining or improving infection risk reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter of disinfection from chemical concentration and contact time to plasma power and exposure duration. By adjusting plasma generation parameters (power, frequency, gas flow), the system achieves effective disinfection in shorter times compared to conventional methods, directly addressing the time-consuming nature of traditional approaches.
2Reliability
If conventional disinfectants are used, then disinfection is achieved, but allergic reactions may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes chemical disinfectants with a physical plasma-based disinfection mechanism. The plasma generator produces reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that kill pathogens through oxidation and other chemical reactions, eliminating the need for conventional chemical disinfectants that cause allergic reactions, while maintaining disinfection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma acts as an intermediary between the plasma generator and the pathogens. Instead of directly applying potentially allergenic chemical disinfectants to the skin, the system uses plasma-generated reactive species as intermediaries to achieve disinfection, thereby eliminating direct contact with harmful chemicals while maintaining disinfection effectiveness.
3Ease of manufacture
If the treatment surface is rigid, then manufacturing is easier, but adaptability to different percutaneous accesses is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible, dynamic treatment surface that can adapt its shape to different percutaneous accesses and stomata configurations. This flexible surface allows the plasma generator to conform to various anatomical sites and device types, providing universal applicability across different medical applications while maintaining ease of manufacture through flexible material fabrication processes.
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 device effectively reduces the risk of infection and promotes wound healing by using decontaminating plasma, avoiding allergic reactions and efficiently managing infections from multi-resistant pathogens with reduced time and material requirements compared to conventional methods.
Implementation Method 1
using cold atmospheric pressure plasma or dielectric barrier discharge to reduce infection risk and promote wound healing
Implementation Method 2
using cold atmospheric pressure plasma or dielectric barrier discharge to reduce infection risk and promote wound healing
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a device (1) for biologically decontaminating percutaneous access points or the stomata of patients, by means of a plasma generator (4) for generating a decontaminating plasma adjacently to a treatment surface (3) of the plasma generator (4). In order to at least partially surround a percutaneous access point or stomata, the treatment surface (3) is curved to be adaptable and can be laid against the percutaneous access point or stomata.