Removable Skin Expander Carriers for Wound Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing skin stretching instruments for closing large wounds are bulky, complex, and require prolonged use, often necessitating multiple devices for large areas, which can complicate wound treatment and are not economical.
Innovation Solution
The instrument features removable carriers with barbs anchored in the skin, which are held by jaws that move to stretch the skin, and once the skin is stretched, a fixing element secures the carriers in place, allowing the device to be removed, thus eliminating the need for stitching and enabling multiple uses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a skin expander with fixed barbs is used to stretch skin and close wounds, then the wound edges can be pulled together effectively, but the device remains bulky and complex and must stay in place for an extended period
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: reusable jaws that apply stretching force and disposable carriers with barbs that remain anchored in the skin. This segmentation allows the complex stretching mechanism to be removed after use while leaving simple anchoring elements in place, reducing overall device complexity and treatment time
Solution Approach 2:
The barbs are extracted from the main expander device and placed on separate removable carriers. After the stretching function is completed, the carriers with barbs are detached from the jaws and left in the skin to maintain wound closure, eliminating the need for the bulky expander device to remain in place
2Duration of action of moving object
If the skin expander remains at the wound for an extended period to maintain stretching force, then continuous skin stretching is achieved, but the treatment becomes less economical and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The barbs are pre-loaded on disposable carriers that are quickly attached to the jaws. The stretching action is performed rapidly using the jaws, and then the carriers are detached and left in the skin. This preliminary preparation allows the stretching function to be completed quickly without requiring prolonged device retention
Solution Approach 2:
The disposable carriers with barbs are discarded after a single use, while the expensive and complex jaw assembly is recovered and reused for subsequent treatments. This approach improves productivity by eliminating the need to maintain complex devices at wounds for extended periods
3Area of stationary object
If multiple skin expanders are used for large-area wounds, then complete wound coverage is achieved, but the complexity and cost of the procedure increase
Solution Approach 1:
Large wounds can be treated by dividing them into multiple smaller treatment zones, each handled by a single expander device with appropriate-sized carriers. The modular nature of the carriers allows them to be selectively placed at different wound locations, achieving complete coverage without requiring one large complex device
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple disposable carriers can be used simultaneously across different parts of a large wound, each carrying barbs for anchoring. Since the carriers are simple and disposable, using multiple of them does not significantly increase complexity or cost, unlike multiple reusable expanders
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
This solution allows for efficient wound closure without stitching, enables the instrument to be reused, and allows for staged closure of large wounds, optimizing wound treatment and reducing the complexity and cost of the procedure.
Implementation Method 1
each of the barbs 28 to be pierced into the skin at the edges of the wound is disposed on a carrier 26 that is mounted removably in the respective jaw 12
Implementation Method 2
The jaws are moved mechanically relative to one another and toward one another, resulting in a tensile force being exerted on the skin, thereby stretching the skin and pulling the edges of the wound together toward one another
Implementation Method 3
The skin is stretched beyond its natural limit of elasticity by means of a tensile force applied for a defined time period, resulting in additional tissue proliferation such that an increase in surface area of the body's own skin can be achieved
Data Source
AI summary
Instrument for stretching the skin for closing wounds, having a skin expander, having at least two jaws mechanically adjustable relative to each other in a tension direction on the skin expander, having barbs associated with the jaws the barbs being anchorable in the skin in the area of the edges of the wound, wherein a tensile force is exerted on the skin by means of the barbs by adjusting the jaws, the force stretching the skin and drawing the edges of the wound toward each other, wherein one or more barbs are each disposed on a carrier extending transverse to the tension direction, wherein the carriers are releasably mounted on the jaws, and wherein the carriers can be fixed in position relative to each other by attachable fixing elements.