Rib Fracture Patch with Expansion Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional treatments for rib fractures, such as medication, external fixation, and internal fixation, are inadequate in providing effective pain relief during movement and deep breathing, as they restrict chest expansion and cause increased pain due to skin texture fixation, leading to limited pain relief and high costs.
Innovation Solution
A patch with an expansion support effect, comprising a body with first and second supporting elements, featuring fixed, engaging, and movable segments, which engage to provide adjustable support, allowing for expansion and deformation to alleviate pain during movement and deep breathing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional external fixation methods (rib belt, elastic therapeutic tape, chest orthosis) are used to fix rib fractures, then the broken parts are fixed and muscles are stabilized, but the chest cavity expansion is restricted, making deep breathing difficult and causing compression of fractured ribs during body movement, which increases pain
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using contraction methods that compress the chest cavity inwardly, this invention uses expansion methods where the patch is stretched outwardly to provide support. The patch is pulled to expand it in a stretched manner along the rib fracture, allowing chest cavity expansion while maintaining fixation stability and reducing pain during breathing and movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the patch from a relaxed state to an expanded stretched state. By pulling the patch to expand it, the physical parameters (tension, area, shape) are altered to provide optimal support for rib fractures while allowing natural chest movement and breathing.
2Ease of manufacture
If elastic therapeutic tape is used for fixation, then some support is provided, but the elastic contraction tension is low and the support effect is poor, limiting pain relief
Solution Approach 1:
The patch uses material with higher tensile strength and elasticity compared to conventional elastic therapeutic tape. By changing the material parameters and expanding the patch to a stretched state, the support strength is significantly enhanced while maintaining ease of application.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying on elastic contraction tension like conventional tapes, this invention uses expansion tension by stretching the patch outwardly. This inversion of the force direction provides stronger and more effective support for rib fractures.
3Reliability
If internal fixation surgery is performed to fix ribs, then the ribs are securely fixed, but muscles must be detached from ribs, creating large wounds, huge scars, and significantly decreasing chest wall muscle strength, leading to low patient acceptance
Solution Approach 1:
This invention extracts the fixation function from complex surgical procedures and implements it through a simple external patch application. The patch provides reliable fixation without requiring muscle detachment, large wounds, or surgical intervention, thereby maintaining fixation reliability while eliminating surgical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patch represents a simple, non-invasive, and disposable external fixation solution that replaces complex surgical internal fixation. It provides reliable support through external application without the need for permanent implants or complex surgical procedures.
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 patch simplifies structural complexity, reduces costs, and provides effective pain relief during movement and deep breathing by cooperating with elastic contraction tension and supporting forces, avoiding pain caused by rib fractures.
Implementation Method 1
cooperating with elastic contraction tension and supporting forces
Data Source
AI summary
A patch having expansion and supporting effects, comprising a body (10, 10A, 10B), at least one first support member (20, 20A, 20B), and at least one second support member (30, 30A, 0B). The body (10, 10A, 10B) is provided with an adhesive surface (11, 11A) and a bonding surface (12, 12A, 12B); the two support members (20, 20A, 20B, 30, 30A, 30B) are provided on the body (10, 10A, 10B) and arranged to movably match each other; each support member (20, 20A, 20B, 30, 30A, 30B) is disposed in a length direction of the body (10, 10A, 10B) and provided with a fixing portion (21, 31, 21A, 31A, 21B, 31B), a snap-fit portion (22, 32, 22A, 32A), and a movable portion (23, 33, 23A, 33A, 23B, 33B), so that the two support members (20, 20A, 20B, 30, 30A, 30B) are disposed in the length direction of the body (10, 10A, 10B) and arranged linearly; the snap-fit portion (22, 32, 22A, 32A) of each support member (20, 20A, 20B, 30, 30A, 30B) is capable of being snap-fitted to the movable portion (23, 33, 23A, 33A, 23B, 33B) of the other support member (20, 20A, 20B, 30, 30A, 30B), and then a support strength required by the body (10, 10A, 10B) during an expansion process is provided by means of a structural pattern in which the snap-fit portion (22, 32, 22A, 32A) is snap-fitted to the movable portion (23, 33, 23A, 33A, 23B, 33B). Therefore, a patch that is simple in structure and convenient to use and has expansion and supporting effects is provided.