Titanium Alloy Medical Cleaning Tool for Implant Debridement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current medical implant cleaning tools are either too hard and risk damaging delicate surfaces like titanium or titanium alloys, or too soft and ineffective, leading to incomplete cleaning and potential reinfection, while debridement tools often cause tissue damage and leave contaminants.

Innovation Solution

A medical cleaning and debridement tool featuring a brush with bristles and wires made of titanium or titanium alloys, providing the necessary hardness for effective cleaning without damaging surfaces, and being biocompatible to prevent foreign body responses.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If hard cleaning tools (stainless steel, hard metal alloys, hard polymers) are used to clean metallic medical implants, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the implant surface may be damaged

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidsurface damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameter of the cleaning tool from hard materials (stainless steel, hard metal alloys) to soft materials (soft polymers, nylon, other synthetic fibres) to resolve the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and surface damage prevention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite structures where the cleaning tool consists of multiple soft bristles made from different synthetic fibre materials, combining the benefits of different materials to achieve both effective cleaning and surface protection

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If soft cleaning tools (soft bristles made of plastic material, nylon, or other synthetic fibres) are used to clean metallic medical implants, then surface damage is prevented, but cleaning effectiveness is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurface damage preventionVSAvoidcleaning effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the parameters of soft bristles by selecting appropriate synthetic fibre materials, bristle densities, and bristle configurations to maintain cleaning effectiveness while preventing surface damage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by designing bristles with varying properties (different lengths, densities, or material compositions) in different regions of the brush to address different cleaning needs while maintaining surface safety

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Force

If hard cleaning tools are used on delicate surfaces (titanium, titanium alloys, zirconium, zirconium alloys), then cleaning power is sufficient, but scratches are produced that become bacterial adhesion sites

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecleaning powerVSAvoidbacterial adhesion sites
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the hardness parameter of the cleaning tool material to be softer than the implant surface materials (titanium, zirconium alloys), eliminating scratches while maintaining adequate cleaning power through optimized bristle configuration and density

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2142036B1A medical cleaning tool
Publication Date: 2011.06.29 CORTICALIS
  • EP2142036B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2142036B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2142036B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The present invention relates to a medical cleaning tool (1) comprising an elongated base member (2) formed of at least two wires (3) being twisted with each other. In addition, the medical cleaning tool comprises a plurality of bristles (4) fixed between the twisted wires and extending away from the twisted wires, whereby the bristles are positioned in a cleaning section (5) at a first end (6) of the base member (2). The bristles consist of titanium or a titanium alloy.