Flexible Conical Shield for Tracheal Cannula Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tracheostomy tube insertion aids face challenges with cannulas of narrow inner diameter and thick walls, leading to difficulties in insertion and withdrawal, risk of tracheal injury, and abrupt caliber transitions, which can cause cartilage fractures or stoma contraction.
Innovation Solution
A guide catheter with a flexible, conically tapering shield that changes its base diameter to fit within the tracheostomy tube, allowing for smooth insertion and withdrawal, and a hollow-cylindrical displacement body for stabilization, enabling one-step dilation and insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an insertion aid with a conical tip is used to facilitate cannula insertion, then insertion is easier, but sharp edges arise on the end face of the cannula which can cause problems when carrying the cannula
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion aid is divided into two functional parts: a conical tip portion for facilitating insertion and a cylindrical portion for protecting the cannula end face. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function without interfering with the other, resolving the contradiction between ease of insertion and prevention of sharp edges.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical portion of the insertion aid acts as an intermediary element between the conical tip and the cannula end face. It transfers the insertion function while protecting the cannula from developing sharp edges, thus mediating between the beneficial conical shape and the harmful edge formation.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the stoma is dilated significantly more than the cannula outer diameter requires to compensate for contraction, then stoma contraction is compensated, but the risk of tracheal clip fractures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion aid with conical tip performs preliminary gradual dilation of the stoma before the cannula is inserted. This preliminary action prepares the stoma to accommodate the cannula without requiring excessive dilation that would risk tracheal clip fractures, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining stoma size and protecting tracheal clips.
3Manufacturing precision
If an insertion aid with thick walls is used to compensate for cannula wall thickness, then calibration compensation is achieved, but the insertion aid with conical tip can only be pushed through the tracheostomy tube with difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The insertion aid employs a dynamic design where the conical tip portion has optimized wall thickness for structural integrity, while the cylindrical portion has reduced wall thickness to facilitate easy passage through the cannula. This dynamic variation in wall thickness along the length of the insertion aid resolves the contradiction between calibration compensation and ease of insertion.
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 solution prevents tracheal injuries by covering the cannula's distal end, facilitates easy insertion and withdrawal, and allows for controlled dilation and insertion, reducing the risk of cartilage fractures and stoma contraction.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible, conically tapering shield (2) that changes its base diameter to fit within the tracheostomy tube
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device having a guide catheter for inserting a tracheal cannula into a tracheostoma. The invention proposes a device for inserting a tracheal cannula into a tracheostoma in such a way as to avoid an injury caused by the distal, frontal surface of the cannula. Such a device would be suitable for use with very flexible cannulas, cannulas with a small internal diameter, and/or cannulas with thick walls. The invention proposes that the guide catheter should have a shield that is made of a flexible material, that is fitted near the distal end of the guide catheter, and that has substantially the form of a distally oriented, conical tip. According to the invention, the tube of the guide catheter passes through the axis of this tip and has a basic outer diameter which, in its first state, is at least equal to the outer diameter of the tracheal cannula, and in its second state, as a result of deformation, is smaller than the internal diameter of the tracheal cannula, and can thus be withdrawn through the tracheal cannula.