Rotatable Tube And Cord Clamp for Tangle-Free Patient Transport
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medical tubes and cords commonly used in patient care are prone to tangling, which can cause patient discomfort and safety risks during transport or movement, and existing organization systems lack mobility and security, requiring manual untangling and reattachment.
Innovation Solution
A modular tube and cord organization system with a spring-loaded clamp and adapter brackets that allow for secure attachment to various structures, providing multiple degrees of freedom for tubes and cords to rotate and adjust angles, and includes clips for easy attachment and detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tubes and cords are loosely organized to allow movement, then patient mobility is improved, but tangling increases causing discomfort and safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The organization system is divided into multiple independent clips that can be attached at different locations along the tube/cord path. Each clip acts as an independent segmentation point, allowing the tube to be organized in discrete sections rather than as a single constrained unit, thus preventing tangling while preserving mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The clips are designed with flexible arms that can dynamically adjust their position and angle. This dynamic capability allows the clips to adapt to tube movement and patient positioning changes, maintaining organization without restricting necessary motion, thereby preventing tangling while preserving ease of operation.
2Reliability
If existing organization systems are securely attached to structures, then stability is improved, but mobility and reconfigurability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple detachable clips rather than a single fixed attachment mechanism. This segmentation allows selective attachment at different locations and easy reconfiguration by simply detaching and reattaching individual clips, providing both secure attachment when needed and mobility when required.
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment system transitions from static fixed mounting to dynamic detachable clipping. The clips can be quickly attached and detached, allowing the system to adapt between stable fixed configuration during use and mobile reconfigurable configuration during transport, resolving the contradiction between security and adaptability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple tubes and cords are bundled together for organization, then tangling is reduced, but access and manipulation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bundling multiple tubes together as a single unit, the system attaches individual clips to individual tubes or cords at separate locations. This segmentation maintains physical separation between tubes, preventing tangling while preserving independent access to each tube for manipulation and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The organization system distributes clips in three-dimensional space around the patient care area rather than confining tubes to a single bundle location. This spatial distribution across multiple dimensions allows tubes to be organized without tangling while remaining easily accessible from various angles, eliminating the need to manipulate a tight bundle.
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 system effectively prevents tangling and secure attachment of tubes and cords, reducing patient discomfort and safety risks while allowing for easy reconfiguration and mobility during patient transport.
Implementation Method 1
a spring-loaded clamp (15) configured to attach the tube and cord organization system (10) to the bed rail (70)
Data Source
AI summary
A tube and cord organization system includes a clamp that is configured to clamp onto a support structure. In some cases, the clamp defines a receiving hole. In some cases, the system further includes an adapter bracket. In some such cases, the adapter bracket is configured to attach to the clamp via a protrusion of the adapter bracket and the receiving hole. In some cases, a face of the adapter bracket forms a hole. In some cases, the adapter bracket is configured to be rotatable relative to the clamp about a first axis. In some cases, the system further includes a clip that is configured to secure one or more tubes or cords. In some such cases, the clip is configured to be rotatable relative to the adapter bracket about a second axis. Other implementations are described.