Temperature Management Pad With Fluid Conduits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients develop pressure sores and ulcers due to prolonged immobility, exacerbated by heat and moisture build-up at the skin-mattress interface, which existing low air loss systems fail to adequately address, especially as they are often non-adjustable and dependent on position.
Innovation Solution
A temperature management pad with a patient-facing side, a cushioning layer, and a fluid conduit for circulating cooled fluid across the cushioning layer, designed to be adjustable and position-independent, reducing heat and moisture build-up while minimizing pressure and shear on the skin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a low air loss system is used to reduce moisture at the patient-mattress interface, then moisture build-up is reduced, but the system is position-dependent and not adjustable
Solution Approach 1:
The pad incorporates a flexible cooling system with fluid conduits that can be dynamically adjusted to different positions and configurations to match varying patient anatomical features and pressure points, transforming a static moisture reduction system into a dynamic, adaptable solution
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows adjustment of cooling parameters including fluid flow rate, temperature, and conduit positioning to optimize both moisture control and adaptability for different patient positions and anatomical variations
2Temperature
If a fluid conduit is placed directly under the patient's skin for cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the conduit may be occluded by patient weight
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling conduits are positioned in a vertical dimension beneath the cushioning layer rather than directly in the horizontal plane under the patient's skin, allowing cooling contact while avoiding occlusion from patient weight
Solution Approach 2:
A cushioning layer acts as an intermediary between the patient's skin and the cooling conduits, maintaining reliable conduit patency while still enabling effective thermal transfer to the skin surface
3Area of stationary object
If the pad is made larger to cover more surface area, then coverage is improved, but the pad cannot be moved for better alignment with vulnerable areas
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent conduit sections that can be individually positioned and activated, allowing the pad to provide broad coverage while enabling selective activation of specific cooling zones aligned with vulnerable anatomical areas
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
Effectively cools the patient's skin, reducing tissue damage by maintaining skin temperature below 20 degrees Celsius, thereby lowering metabolic rates and minimizing pressure-induced skin damage without interfering with pressure redistribution or immersion into the underlying surface.
Implementation Method 1
a fluid conduit between the patient facing side and the cushioning layer for circulating cooled fluid through the pad across the cushioning layer
Data Source
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AI summary
A temperature management pad includes a patient facing side, a cushioning layer supporting the patient facing side above a surface, and a cooling component located in, on, or adjacent the cushioning layer for cooling the patient facing side of the pad for cooling a patient lying thereon.