Surgical Arm Positioner With Malleable Liner for Sterile Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical arm supports are not disposable and require complex sterilization processes, posing challenges in maintaining sterility during surgical operations.
Innovation Solution
A disposable arm support liner made of malleable material with a soft engagement surface, secured to a reusable stainless-steel tray, which can be easily attached and detached, ensuring sterility and providing adjustable support for the patient's arm during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a reusable arm support is used, then the device can be sterilized and reused, but the sterilization process is complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The arm support system is divided into two segments: a reusable rigid tray and a disposable soft liner. The liner is disposed of after a single use, eliminating the need for complex sterilization processes, while the tray can be sterilized and reused. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by making the portion requiring sterility (liner) disposable rather than reusable.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft liner is designed as a disposable component that is discarded after single use. This eliminates the need for lengthy sterilization procedures for the liner, reducing overall sterilization time while maintaining sterility through proper disposal of the contaminated portion.
2Reliability
If a disposable arm support is used, then sterility is maintained and disposal is simple, but the device complexity increases due to separate components
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable liner is merged with the reusable tray through integration, where the liner fits within and attaches to the tray. This combining approach maintains the benefits of disposability while reducing operational complexity by presenting a unified assembly that functions as a single support unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The soft liner is nested within the rigid tray structure, with the liner positioned inside the tray and secured through openings in the tray bottom. This nesting arrangement allows the disposable liner to be contained within the reusable framework, simplifying the overall device architecture while maintaining sterility.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid arm support is used, then the positioning is stable, but the comfort and adaptability to arm shapes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support system employs different material properties in different locations: the rigid tray provides stable positioning and structural support, while the soft liner provides comfort and adaptability to the patient's arm contours. This local differentiation of material qualities resolves the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The arm support combines rigid and soft materials in a composite structure. The rigid tray offers positional stability, while the soft liner material (such as foam or gel) conforms to the patient's arm shape, providing both stability and adaptability simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
An arm retainer for supporting a patient's arm at a desired position on an articulatable support assembly secured to an operating table. The arm retainer includes a rigid arm tray (11) provided with a pair of spaced openings (16) for securement of a disposable arm support liner (10) to the tray. The arm support liner (10) is comprised of a sheet of malleable material (13) with a soft engagement surface (14) for skin contact with the patient and is provided with a predetermined cut configuration for wrapping the malleable liner (10) about the patient's arm for retention of the arm therein. The line (10) has two spaced foldout tabs (17) aligned with the corresponding tray openings (16) for securing the liner to the tray (11) by folding the tabs (17) through respective of the openings (16) and thereafter against the bottom side of the tray.