Polymer Needle Tissue Detection System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current needles used for lumbar punctures often cause trauma to patients due to their design, leading to increased risk of blood contamination and nerve damage, and lack of tactile feedback makes precise placement difficult.
Innovation Solution
A polymer needle with a low-friction insertion tip and an elongate sleeve that provides tactile feedback, combined with a detection system using electrodes and a circuit to indicate the needle's location within the body, reducing tissue damage and improving placement accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a beveled tip needle is used for lumbar puncture, then the needle can effectively cut through tissue to reach the dural sac, but it causes significant tissue trauma and increases the risk of blood contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The needle tip geometry is changed from a sharp beveled edge to a rounded atraumatic tip with specific dimensional parameters (radius of curvature, length). This parameter change allows the needle to penetrate tissue through compression and displacement rather than cutting, reducing tissue trauma while maintaining insertion effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a sharp cutting edge that removes tissue, the invention uses a rounded tip that pushes tissue aside. This inverts the traditional approach from cutting to displacing, achieving penetration through compression rather than separation of tissue layers.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If an atraumatic needle with a rounded tip is used, then tissue trauma is reduced, but the user experiences less tactile feedback during insertion making precise placement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The needle incorporates tactile feedback mechanisms including a flared hub that amplifies resistance sensations from tissue engagement, and surface texturing that enhances grip and sensation. These features provide the user with enhanced tactile information about needle depth and tissue interaction despite the rounded tip design.
Solution Approach 2:
The flared hub acts as an intermediary between the rounded needle tip and the user's hand. It amplifies and transmits the subtle resistance sensations from tissue penetration to the user, making tactile feedback more perceptible without changing the atraumatic tip design.
3Reliability
If stainless steel is used for needle construction, then the needle has good biocompatibility and can be easily sterilized, but it provides excessive tactile resistance and potential for tissue cutting
Solution Approach 1:
The needle is constructed from composite materials combining a biocompatible metal core (for strength and sterilization) with a polymer coating or polymer construction (for reduced friction and tissue interaction). This composite structure maintains the benefits of stainless steel while eliminating its harmful cutting characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The material properties are changed by using polymers or polymer-coated metals instead of solid stainless steel. This parameter change in material composition reduces the coefficient of friction with tissue and eliminates the sharp cutting edge, while maintaining biocompatibility through selection of medically approved polymer materials.
4Reliability
If multiple insertions are performed to locate the dural sac, then the likelihood of successful CSF sampling increases, but the risk of traumatic lumbar puncture increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced tactile feedback from the flared hub and surface texturing allows the user to detect tissue engagement and dural sac penetration with greater precision on the first insertion. This reduced the need for multiple attempts and thereby降低了 the cumulative risk of traumatic puncture.
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 polymer needle minimizes tissue trauma and enhances user feedback during insertion, while the detection system accurately determines the needle's location, reducing the risk of blood contamination and improving diagnostic accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
A polymer needle can reduce trauma to a patient and provide tactile feedback to a person handling the polymer needle during insertion
Implementation Method 2
The circuit can be configured to provide a signal based on an electrical characteristic between the first electrode and the second electrode
Data Source
AI summary
A detection system can include a device, a circuit, and at least one indicator. The device can include polymer needle having a distal end and a proximal end. A needle lumen can be extended along a longitudinal axis of the polymer needle. The distal end can include an insertion tip. An elongate sleeve can include a first end and a second end. The polymer needle can be located within an inner bore of the elongate sleeve. The insertion tip of the polymer needle can be disposed at a distance from the elongate sleeve. A first electrode can be coupled to the device and a second electrode can be electrically isolated from the first electrode. The circuit can be configured to provide a signal based on an electrical characteristic between the first electrode and the second electrode. At least one indicator can be communicatively coupled to the circuit and configured to provide an output based on the signal.