Tissue Expander Colorant and Tread Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tissue expanders lack visibility under the skin, making it difficult for medical professionals to accurately locate and puncture the access port for inflation, and they can inadvertently puncture the shell during surgery, leading to fluid leakage that is hard to detect due to clear saline.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a biocompatible colorant that changes color when mixed with the inflation fluid, and using a tread pattern on the exterior surface for stability, along with a computer-based locator system to detect and display the access port's location under the skin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If clear saline is used for inflation, then the tissue expander is less visible under the skin, but fluid leakage is harder to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by incorporating a colorant into the inflation fluid or applying it to the shell surface. When the shell is punctured, the colored fluid leaks outward, providing visible indication of the puncture site. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining the simplicity of clear saline while adding coloration capability for detection purposes.
2Reliability
If the tissue expander shell is made smooth, then manufacturing is easier, but the shell can move or slip during surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding treads or textured patterns to specific regions of the shell surface rather than making the entire shell complex. These localized features provide friction and stability during surgery while minimizing impact on manufacturing processes. The treads can be molded into the shell during standard manufacturing or added as separate components.
3Measurement precision
If no locator system is used, then the device is simpler, but incorrect puncture of the access port is more likely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color changes to enhance the visibility of the access port and shell features. The colored inflation fluid or colored markers on the shell provide visual cues that help medical professionals accurately locate and puncture the access port, reducing incorrect punctures without requiring complex electronic locator systems.
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 colorant ensures visible leakage upon puncture, the tread pattern prevents movement and slippage, and the locator system minimizes incorrect punctures, enhancing surgical precision and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a colorant inside the shell before the shell is inflated with fluid, wherein the colorant mixes with the fluid upon injection of fluid into the shell
Implementation Method 2
the colorant is dehydrated and the injecting the fluid into the shell to inflate the body rehydrates the colorant
Implementation Method 3
a tread on an exterior surface of the shell
Data Source
AI summary
Improvements for use with tissue expanders are provided. A first aspect includes a tissue expander device provided with a colorant inside a shell before the shell is inflated with fluid, wherein the colorant mixes with fluid upon injection of fluid into the shell. A second aspect includes a tissue expander device provided with a tread on an exterior surface of the shell. A third aspect includes a system having: a computing device with a visual display screen; a detector connected to the computing device that is configured to detect a port of a tissue expander that is implanted under skin of a patient; and software running on the computing device that receives signals from the detector and causes the visual display screen to show a visual representation of a location of the detected port of the tissue expander.