Single-Lumen Catheter with Movable Partition for Intracranial Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheters for delivering high oxygen solutions to the brain through the spinal cord face challenges in maintaining fluid flowability due to the thin spinal canal, limiting their ability to introduce and draw cerebrospinal fluid effectively through multiple lumens.
Innovation Solution
A catheter system with a tubular body featuring a single lumen that alternates between injection and suction ports, controlled by actuators and a detector to manage intracranial pressure, allowing for efficient introduction and withdrawal of cerebrospinal fluid through a single lumen while minimizing pressure increases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a catheter with multiple lumens is used to introduce and draw cerebrospinal fluid, then fluid flowability is improved, but the complexity of the device increases and the difficulty of insertion through the thin spinal canal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of multiple lumens into a single lumen by using a movable partition that divides the single lumen into multiple flow paths. This allows the catheter to maintain fluid flowability while reducing structural complexity and facilitating easier insertion through the spinal canal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a movable partition within the single lumen that can dynamically adjust to create multiple flow paths when needed. The partition can move to separate injection and suction flows, providing the functionality of multiple lumens only when required, thereby maintaining simplicity during insertion.
2Productivity
If a catheter with multiple lumens is used, then simultaneous injection and suction is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to port management complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple ports into a single lumen structure with a movable partition. The partition automatically directs fluid flow to appropriate openings based on pressure differentials, enabling simultaneous injection and suction without requiring complex port management by the operator.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable partition within the single lumen automatically responds to pressure differentials created during injection and suction operations. The partition self-regulates fluid direction without external control, eliminating the need for complex manual port management while maintaining simultaneous injection and suction capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If the spinal canal is accessed with a thin catheter, then insertion ease is improved, but fluid flowability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a dynamic movable partition within a thin single-lumen catheter that creates multiple flow paths during operation. The catheter maintains a thin profile for easy insertion, but the movable partition dynamically expands the effective flow capacity when injection or suction is performed, resolving the contradiction between thin profile and fluid flowability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the single lumen flow path using a movable partition into multiple sub-streams during operation. This segmentation increases the effective surface area for fluid exchange and improves flowability without increasing the outer diameter of the catheter, maintaining ease of insertion while enhancing fluid handling capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter includes a tubular body to be inserted into a living body. The tubular body has a lumen that is held in fluid communication with an injection port defined in a distal end of the tubular body and a suction port near a proximal end of the tubular body, and the suction port is closed when the injection port is open, and the injection port is closed when the suction port is open.