Sterile Specimen Container Inlet With Reconfigurable Transfer Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to adequately prevent contamination of bodily-fluid samples by external microbes and contaminants during procurement, leading to inaccurate diagnostic results and unnecessary treatments.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a fluid reservoir, sterilization member, and transfer adapter that maintains a substantially sterile environment by transitioning between configurations to ensure the inlet surface remains sterile during fluid transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sterile barrier is placed over the fluid reservoir inlet surface, then the inlet surface remains sterile, but the adapter cannot be connected to the syringe
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile barrier is designed to be dynamically reconfigurable - it maintains a first configuration that obstructs the inlet surface to preserve sterility, and can transition to a second configuration that unobstructs the inlet surface to allow adapter connection. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction by providing both sterile protection and connection accessibility at different operational stages.
2Ease of operation
If the sterile barrier is removed or opened, then the adapter can be connected, but the sterile environment is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary sterility protection by maintaining the barrier in its first configuration during storage and handling. The barrier is only transitioned to the second configuration at the precise moment when adapter connection is required and the fluid pathway needs to be opened, ensuring sterility is maintained until the last possible moment.
3Reliability
If the sterile barrier remains closed, then sterility is maintained, but fluid transfer from the syringe is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile barrier transitions between configurations based on operational requirements. In the first configuration, it maintains sterility while preventing fluid transfer. Upon adapter connection, it transforms to the second configuration, enabling fluid transfer from the syringe through the inlet surface while maintaining the sterile seal through the fluid pathway.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus includes a fluid reservoir, a sterilization member, and a transfer adapter. The sterilization member operably couples to the fluid reservoir. The sterilization member is configured to be transitioned between a first configuration, in which the sterilization member obstructs an inlet surface of the fluid reservoir and maintains the inlet surface in a substantially sterile environment, and a second configuration, in which the inlet surface is unobstructed. The transfer adapter is configured to be placed in fluid communication with a portion of a patient. The transfer adapter is configured to move relative to the sterilization member from a first position to a second position such that a surface of the transfer adapter contacts the sterilization member to transition the sterilization member to the second configuration. The fluid reservoir is placed in fluid communication with the transfer adapter when the transfer adapter is in the second position.