Handheld Push Strength Measurement Device with Calibrated Spring
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is no device capable of accurately measuring the strength or adequacy of a laboring mother's voluntary 'pushes' during the second stage of labor, relying on subjective perceptions instead.
Innovation Solution
A handheld device with a mushroom-shaped tip and a calibrated spring, equipped with a solid-state pressure transducer catheter, measures the strength of voluntary contractions by applying pressure and correlating it with intra-rectal pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If subjective perceptions are used to assess push strength, then no specialized device is needed, but measurement accuracy and objectivity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces subjective human perception with an electronic measurement system. A pressure transducer converts mechanical pressure from maternal pushes into electrical signals that can be objectively measured and displayed, eliminating the subjectivity inherent in manual assessment by healthcare providers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a pressure transducer as an intermediary device between the maternal pushes and the measurement system. This transducer acts as a mediator that converts the mechanical force of pushes into quantifiable electrical data, providing an objective bridge between the physical action and its measurement.
2Loss of information
If no measurement device is used, then device complexity is minimized, but feedback accuracy to optimize maternal effort is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where the pressure transducer continuously monitors push strength and provides real-time information to healthcare providers. This feedback loop allows for immediate assessment of whether maternal pushes are adequate, enabling timely interventions to prevent information loss about push effectiveness.
3Reliability
If subjective assessment methods are used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but reliability of delivery outcome prediction is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces unreliable subjective judgment with reliable electronic measurement. The pressure transducer provides consistent, objective data about push strength that can be reliably used to predict delivery outcomes, reducing variability inherent in human assessment.
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 provides accurate and objective feedback on the strength of voluntary pushes, helping laboring mothers optimize their efforts without exhausting themselves, thereby reducing the need for Cesarean sections.
Implementation Method 1
a solid-state pressure transducer catheter, measures the strength of voluntary contractions by applying pressure and correlating it with intra-rectal pressure
Implementation Method 2
a handheld device with a mushroom-shaped tip and a calibrated spring
Data Source
AI summary
A device to accurately measure the strength or level of the voluntary pushes supplied by the laboring mother during the second stage of labor through the contraction of her abdominal musculature, that comprises a hollow handheld base with a central lumen and a recess enclosing a calibrated spring into which a shaft with a central lumen capped by a mushroom-shaped outer surface is inserted which tip is applied to the anus to pass a catheter containing a solid-state pressure transducer to provide an accurate measure of the strength of voluntary maternal expulsive efforts without interfering with those efforts or with the birth canal of the mother.