Textured Pacifier Nipple for Organizing Infant Suck Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Premature infants often exhibit disorganized suck patterns due to premature birth and medical complications, leading to delayed neurological development, feeding difficulties, and related medical complications, as their central pattern generators for suck are grossly disorganized, necessitating a device to assist in developing organized suck patterns.
Innovation Solution
A non-nutritive suck entrainment system featuring a textured pacifier nipple with a bulbous portion, tubular portion, and flange, integrated with a micro-topology texture band and an RFID chip, which provides vibrotactile stimulation through an expandable membrane and pneumatically coupled NNS entrainment pulse generator to stimulate oralfacial nerves and assist in organizing suck patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a smooth nipple surface is used, then the device is simple to manufacture, but it fails to provide adequate vibrotactile stimulation to organize disorganized suck patterns in premature infants
Solution Approach 1:
The nipple incorporates a micro-topology texture band that covers only a portion of the nipple surface, specifically the region that contacts the infant's lips during non-nutritive sucking. This localized texturing provides the necessary vibrotactile stimulation to organize disorganized suck patterns while leaving other areas smooth for ease of manufacture and comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The micro-topology texture band replicates the natural micro-topology of a mother's nipple, providing familiar tactile feedback to the premature infant. This copying of natural sensory input helps entrain and organize the infant's central pattern generators for sucking without requiring complete surface texturing.
2Reliability
If a textured surface is added to the nipple, then vibrotactile stimulation is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of texturing the entire nipple surface, the invention applies micro-topology texturing only to a specific band region that contacts the infant's lips. This localized approach enhances vibrotactile stimulation effectiveness while minimizing the increase in manufacturing complexity compared to full-surface texturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The nipple is segmented into different functional zones: a smooth base portion for ease of manufacture and comfort, and a textured micro-topology band for sensory stimulation. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently, balancing manufacturing complexity with therapeutic effectiveness.
3Reliability
If the nipple texture covers the entire surface, then sensory stimulation is maximized, but the transition to natural breastfeeding may be hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The micro-topology texture band is applied locally to the nipple surface rather than covering the entire surface. This allows the majority of the nipple to remain smooth and similar to natural breast tissue, facilitating transition to breastfeeding while providing concentrated sensory stimulation in the contact zone where it is most needed for organizing suck patterns.
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 system effectively modulates and organizes non-nutritive suck patterns, enhancing the transition to oral feeding and replicating the natural micro-topology of a mother's nipple, thereby supporting neurological development and premature infants' transition to breast feeding.
Implementation Method 1
the tubular portion includes a micro-topology texture band about an exterior surface... provides vibrotactile stimulation through an expandable membrane
Implementation Method 2
nipple includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip
Data Source
AI summary
A nipple (100) comprising a bulbous portion (101), a tubular portion (102) having a central axis and a first end of the tubular portion connected to the bulbous portion, the tubular portion including a texture band about an exterior surface, the texture band including a first pattern of surface features having a nominal height in a range from about 0.005 inches to about 0.022 inches, and a flange connected to a second end of the tubular portion. Some examples include nipples with a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip.