Sealable Bladder Pocket for Reusable Compression Garment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional compression garments are not reusable and are designed for single patients, limiting their effectiveness and increasing costs due to disposal and potential for disease transmission when reused.
Innovation Solution
A compression garment with a selectively inflatable bladder and a sealable bladder pocket made from fluid-impermeable material, allowing the bladder to be interchangeable and reused across different wraps and patients, with a main opening for inserting and removing the bladder and a secondary opening for connecting a fluid supply line, ensuring the bladder is shielded from bodily fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional compression garments are designed for single-use with integrally formed bladders, then they are simple to manufacture and use, but they cannot be reused and must be discarded after each patient, increasing costs and potential disease transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The garment is divided into separate components: a reusable bladder and a disposable wrap. The bladder can be removed from the wrap through the main opening and reused with subsequent patients, while the wrap is discarded after single use. This segmentation allows the bladder to be separated from the contaminated portion of the garment.
Solution Approach 2:
The bladder is extracted from the integral structure and placed in a removable pocket within the wrap. The pocket has a main opening that allows the bladder to be completely removed from the wrap for reuse with the next patient, while the wrap itself is discarded. This extraction enables the valuable bladder component to be separated from the single-use portion.
2Ease of operation
If the bladder is made accessible for connection to fluid supply, then it can be inflated and used, but it becomes vulnerable to contamination from bodily fluids
Solution Approach 1:
The pocket acts as an intermediary barrier between the bladder and the external environment. The pocket is formed from fluid-impermeable material that shields the bladder from bodily fluids while still allowing the connector to access the fluid supply line through the secondary opening. This intermediary structure protects the bladder from contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket is constructed from fluid-impermeable material that forms a protective barrier around the bladder. This flexible shell allows the bladder to be accessed and connected to the fluid supply while preventing bodily fluids from penetrating to the bladder surface, thus protecting against contamination.
3Strength
If the wrap is designed to be fastened around the body part, then it provides compression, but it cannot accommodate removal and reinsertion of the bladder
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap structure is segmented to include a pocket with a main opening that spans across the wrap. This opening allows the bladder to be removed and reinserted while the wrap remains fastened around the patient's body part, maintaining compression during bladder replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The pocket design allows dynamic access to the bladder while the wrap maintains its compressed state. The main opening can be opened to remove or insert the bladder, and then closed to maintain the sealed, compressed configuration during use. This dynamic design enables bladder interchangeability without compromising compression integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A compression garment having a sealable bladder pocket adapted for applying compression therapy to a selected body part of a patient. The compression garment includes a selectively inflatable bladder and a wrap having a selectively sealable pocket. The pocket has a sealable main opening sized for passing the bladder therethrough for inserting the bladder in the pocket and removing the bladder from the pocket. A connector on the bladder may be connected to a fluid supply line via the main opening. In other embodiments, the connector may be connected in fluid communication with the fluid supply line via a secondary opening separated from the main opening. Fluid is delivered from the fluid source to an inflatable interior of the bladder to impart compression therapy to the body part.