Airway Suction Catheter Delivery Device Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Intubated patients face challenges with suction catheters due to their flexibility, making it difficult to position them accurately in the airway, which can lead to incomplete seals and aspiration of debris and secretions past the ET tube balloon.
Innovation Solution
A delivery device with an elongate shaft and atraumatic distal end, featuring a grooved piece and lid piece that releasably connect to form a passageway for the suction catheter, allowing for precise placement and easy detachment, and optionally includes retention elements and a stylet for enhanced maneuverability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If suction catheters are made small in diameter to fit limited airway space, then they can be inserted into the airway, but their flexibility makes them difficult to manipulate and position accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery device is divided into distinct segments: an elongate shaft, a grooved piece, and a lid piece. The catheter itself is segmented with a stylet inserted within it. This segmentation allows each component to have optimized properties - the delivery device provides structural support for positioning, while the catheter maintains flexibility for insertion, resolving the contradiction between small size and manipulability.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery device acts as an intermediary tool that enables accurate positioning of the flexible catheter. The grooved piece with its lumen provides a guided pathway, and the stylet serves as a temporary intermediary support within the catheter to maintain its shape during insertion. Once positioned, the stylet is removed, leaving the flexible catheter in place. This intermediary approach allows the flexible catheter to be positioned accurately without compromising its flexibility.
2Ease of operation
If the balloon forms an incomplete seal, then insertion is easier, but debris and subglottic secretions pass into the lower respiratory tract
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the harmful elements (debris and subglottic secretions) from the airway using the suction catheter. By positioning the catheter distal to the balloon and applying suction, it actively removes secretions that would otherwise pass into the lower respiratory tract through incomplete seals, thereby eliminating the harmful effect while maintaining the benefits of balloon insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potential harm of incomplete balloon seals into a benefit by using the same anatomical space to position the suction catheter. The incomplete seal that allows secretions to pass also creates access for the catheter to reach the subglottic space, where it can then remove those secretions, turning the harmful leakage pathway into a beneficial access route for protection.
3Manufacturing precision
If a delivery device is used to position the suction catheter accurately, then positioning precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery device is segmented into modular components (elongate shaft, grooved piece, lid piece) that can be assembled and disassembled. The grooved piece and lid piece form a lumen that guides the catheter, providing precision without requiring a completely complex integrated structure. This modular segmentation achieves positioning precision while keeping individual components relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is nested within the lumen formed by the grooved piece and lid piece during the positioning process. The stylet is nested within the catheter to provide temporary support. This nesting arrangement allows multiple functional elements to be combined in a space-efficient manner, achieving accurate catheter placement without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
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
Enables rapid and accurate deployment of suction catheters in the airway, reducing the risk of aspiration and trauma, while allowing for continuous or intermittent suctioning to prevent microaspiration of materials and bacteria.
Implementation Method 1
a suction catheter may be positioned to clear this debris or secretions via suction
Data Source
AI summary
Described here are devices, systems, and methods for positioning a suction catheter in the airway of a patient. The systems may comprise a suction catheter, a delivery device, and/or a stylet. The delivery device may comprise an elongate shaft, an atraumatic distal end, an elongate passageway, and a retention element configured to releasably couple to an endotracheal tube. The suction catheter may be positioned in the elongate passageway, and the delivery device may help advance the suction catheter into the airway of a patient. In some variations, the delivery device may comprise elements configured to release the suction catheter in the airway after positioning.