Transparent Hollow Body Marking for Medical Instrument Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distinguishing between similar medical instruments, particularly in surgical settings, is challenging due to minimal size differences, leading to difficulties in identification and proper sterilization in central sterile supply departments.
Innovation Solution
A medical instrument with a closed, transparent or translucent hollow body containing a visible marking element, which can be mounted on the instrument or its parts, enhancing recognizability and distinguishability through visible markings or colorants, and can be made from materials like glass or polymethyl methacrylate, ensuring sterilization resistance and biocompatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If medical instruments have minimal size differences and similar structures, then they are easier to manufacture and sterilize, but they become difficult to differentiate and identify
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by filling the transparent hollow body with colored liquids or suspensions (e.g., red, blue, green, yellow) that are visible through the transparent material. This allows instruments with identical structures to be differentiated by color without changing the instrument's functional design or manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent hollow body acts as an intermediary carrier that holds marking elements (colored liquids, suspensions, or solids) without interfering with the instrument's function. This mediator allows differentiation while maintaining the original instrument design
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If marking elements are applied directly to medical instruments, then identification is improved, but the marking elements are exposed to external influences causing cracking and embrittlement
Solution Approach 1:
The marking elements (colored liquids, suspensions, or solids) are nested inside the transparent hollow body, which protects them from external influences. The hollow body acts as a protective container that shields the marking elements during sterilization and use, preventing cracking and embrittlement while maintaining visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent hollow body serves as a protective intermediary between the marking elements and external harsh environments (sterilization agents, mechanical stress). This mediator allows the marking elements to maintain their identification function while being protected from damaging external conditions
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If marking elements are visible through transparent material, then identification is improved, but the transparent material may interfere with sterilization processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selects transparent materials with specific properties (silicone rubber, polyurethane, polycarbonate, acrylic glass) that balance transparency for visibility with resistance to sterilization processes. The material parameters are chosen to allow autoclaving and chemical sterilization while maintaining optical properties
Solution Approach 2:
The solution uses composite construction: a transparent protective hollow body made of sterilization-resistant material (silicone rubber, polyurethane, polycarbonate, or acrylic glass) containing colored marking elements. This composite structure combines the transparency needed for visibility with the sterilization resistance required for medical use
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a medical instrument (1) or part of a medical instrument (1), wherein the medical instrument (1) or the part of a medical instrument (1) has a closed hollow body (2) which is designed to be at least partially transparent, wherein the hollow body (2) contains a marking element (3), wherein the marking element (3) is visible through the hollow body (2) which is designed to be at least partially transparent.