Surgical Underlay Pad Gel Coating for Trendelenburg Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical underlay pads used in the Trendelenburg position are expensive, prone to slipping when wet, and lose support due to temperature sensitivity, making them inadequate for maintaining patient security and comfort during extended surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A surgical underlay pad made of silicone with a substrate, featuring a low-tack gel coating on both sides to provide sufficient shear strength and prevent sliding, while being cost-effective and resistant to liquids and temperature changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If viscoelastic foam is used as the pad material, then patient comfort and pressure point reduction are improved, but the pad becomes slippery and loses gripping properties when wet, and temperature sensitivity causes loss of support properties
Solution Approach 1:
The pad combines polyurethane foam substrate with a gel coating layer to create a composite material that provides both comfort and reliable grip. The gel coating specifically addresses the slipping issue when wet while the foam substrate maintains structural support, resolving the contradiction between comfort and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gel coating changes the surface properties of the pad by modifying friction characteristics and providing liquid resistance. This parameter change ensures the pad maintains its gripping properties even when exposed to fluids during surgery, directly addressing the reliability concern.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If viscoelastic foam is used for the pad, then patient comfort is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to complicated processes
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of standard polyurethane foam with a gel coating provides a cost-effective alternative to pure viscoelastic foam while maintaining patient comfort. The gel coating can be applied through established manufacturing processes, avoiding the need for expensive viscoelastic material throughout the entire pad structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The gel coating is applied only to the surface layer where patient contact occurs, providing the necessary comfort and grip properties locally without requiring the entire pad to be made of expensive viscoelastic material. This local application reduces overall manufacturing cost while maintaining effectiveness.
3Strength
If viscoelastic foam is used, then initial grip capability is improved, but the pad becomes softer when warmed, losing support properties
Solution Approach 1:
The gel coating layer provides temperature stability to the pad structure. While the foam substrate may soften with warmth, the gel coating maintains its structural properties, ensuring consistent support throughout the surgical procedure regardless of temperature changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The gel coating modifies the thermal response characteristics of the pad by providing a surface layer with different thermal properties than the foam substrate alone. This parameter change helps maintain support consistency even when the underlying foam becomes softer due to warming during surgery.
4Reliability
If hook and loop closures and body straps are used to secure the pad, then patient security is improved, but device complexity and time to secure the patient increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gel coating integrates the securing function directly into the pad material itself, eliminating the need for separate hook and loop closures and body straps. The adhesive gel provides inherent attachment to both the table and patient, simplifying the overall system while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The gel coating performs multiple functions simultaneously: providing patient comfort, ensuring grip stability when wet, and securing the pad to both the table and patient. This multi-functionality replaces multiple separate components, reducing device complexity while maintaining or improving reliability.
5Object-affected harmful factors
If the pad is designed to be disposable for hygienic concerns, then infection risk is reduced, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pad is designed as a disposable single-use product using cost-effective polyurethane foam and gel coating materials rather than expensive viscoelastic foam. This approach maintains the hygienic advantage of disposability while reducing the per-unit manufacturing cost through material selection.
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
The pad effectively secures patients in the Trendelenburg position without the need for additional straps, maintains grip and comfort, and is more economical and environmentally friendly compared to viscoelastic foam pads, with improved handling and visibility during surgeries.
Implementation Method 1
a gel coating on both sides of the substrate, the gel coating having a shear strength sufficient to prevent the surgical underlay pad from sliding across the operating table
Implementation Method 2
the silicone having a low-tack physical characteristic with a shear strength sufficient to prevent the surgical underlay pad from sliding
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical underlay pad configured to secure a patient's torso while in a Trendelenburg position, the pad comprised of a flexible substrate with a self-adhesive silicone material layer or coat on one or more sides of the substrate and having a shear strength such that when the pad is positioned on an operating table surface and the table is tilted beyond the horizontal, the pad resists sliding. The silicone material can be applied as a continuous coat or in a variety of patterns. The pad is removable and repositionable, and the silicone coat forms a water resistant bond with the operating table surface. The silicone coat reduces the overall mass of the pad, and is cost effective, easier to manufacture, and produces less environmental waste. References to “gel” used in this disclosure include the use of low-tack silicone material.