Disposable Radiolucent Foam Pad for Surgical Arm Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for securing a patient's arm during medical procedures are often cumbersome, difficult to position, interfere with radiographic imaging, and pose sterility risks due to reuse, while failing to protect the arm from injury and provide clear visualization of IV and arterial lines.
Innovation Solution
A disposable, radiolucent foam pad shaped like an 'H' with Velcro attachments that can be easily secured under the operating table and split to accommodate both upper and lower arms, allowing for quick removal and repositioning, and can be cut or torn for access to specific areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a hard plastic sled is used to support the patient's arm, then the arm is protected from external pressure, but the device is difficult to position under the mattress and interferes with radiographic imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid hard plastic sled with a flexible foam pad that can be easily positioned under the mattress. The foam material provides cushioning and protection while being pliable enough to slide under the mattress without obstruction, resolving the contradiction between protection and ease of positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable foam pad that can be discarded after use, eliminating the need for sterilization and reducing infection risk. This disposable approach also allows for easier positioning and removal compared to reusable rigid devices, while maintaining protective function throughout the procedure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a hard plastic sled is used to support the patient's arm, then the arm is protected from external pressure, but the device interferes with x-ray imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The foam pad material is inherently radiolucent, allowing x-rays to pass through without obstruction. This flexible foam construction provides both the protective cushioning function and the radiolucency required for clear imaging, eliminating the interference problem associated with hard plastic sleds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses foam material that combines protective cushioning properties with radiolucency. This composite approach integrates both required functions - mechanical protection and imaging transparency - into a single material solution.
3Productivity
If a sled is used from procedure to procedure, then the device can be reused, but it raises issues regarding the sterile field necessary during operating room procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable foam pad that is discarded after a single use. This eliminates sterilization concerns entirely while maintaining the protective function. The low cost of the disposable pad makes this approach economically viable despite the loss of reusability.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam pad is designed for single-use and disposal after the procedure. This discarding approach ensures sterile field integrity by preventing any potential contamination from previous uses, while the low cost of the pad makes the disposable approach practical.
4Ease of operation
If the patient's arm is tucked and held in place by folding the surgical drape, then the arm is positioned along the body, but the arm cannot be visualized for IV and arterial line sites
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible foam pad can be easily moved, folded back, or removed to expose the patient's arm for visualization of IV and arterial line sites. This flexibility allows the pad to provide positioning support while not permanently obscuring the arm, resolving the contradiction between positioning and visualization.
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 solution provides effective arm protection from external pressure, facilitates clear visualization of IV and arterial lines, maintains sterility by being disposable, and does not interfere with x-ray imaging, while allowing for easy repositioning of the patient during procedures.
Implementation Method 1
An attachment means 50 will be secured in the center of the pad on the side of the pad on which a patient is placed and will ordinarily be in use underneath a patient's body. Hook-and-eye materials sold by the commercial name of VelcroTM can be used for this purpose.
Data Source
AI summary
An arm protection apparatus for a patient's arms when the patient is in a prone or supine position. An injured party who is unable to voice complaints of pain or pressure may be positioned on an operating table or on a stretcher. The patient may be unconscious. There is a risk of injury to a patient's arm unless the patient's arm is secured in a safe positioned and cushioned from outside pressure. The arm protection apparatus involves a central pad, which is positioned under a patient's body. Sections come off the central pad, which may be positioned around a patient's arm. Ordinarily, a patient's upper arm and lower arm will both be contained within separate sections that are attached to the central portion of the pad. The pad will be constructed of a soft foam-like material, which is radiolucent and easily folded or cut as need be. The pad will ordinarily be disposable and discarded after one use and can be packaged and stored in a sterile container.