Orientable Trimmed TTM Pad for Patient Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Targeted temperature management (TTM) systems face challenges in expeditious and proper placement of TTM pads on patients due to difficulties in orienting and wrapping, and in accommodating varying patient sizes, leading to inefficient thermal energy transfer and potential medical complications.
Innovation Solution
A medical pad design featuring a central trunk structure with branching wings that can be trimmed, a conformable hydrogel layer, and adjustable straps for easy orientation and resizing, allowing for universal fit and improved thermal energy exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional TTM pads are used with fixed sizes and shapes, then thermal energy transfer is effective, but it is difficult to accommodate different patient sizes and proper placement is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The TTM pad is divided into a central trunk structure and multiple detachable wing sections. The wings can be removed or trimmed independently to adjust the pad's overall size and shape, allowing customization for different patient body sizes while maintaining proper placement simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad design transitions from a fixed static structure to a dynamic configurable structure where wings can be added or removed based on patient needs. This dynamic adaptability allows the same base pad to serve multiple patient sizes without increasing placement complexity.
2Area of stationary object
If TTM pads are designed to cover larger body surfaces, then thermal energy transfer area is increased, but patient discomfort increases and thermal energy transfer efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The pad's wing sections can be selectively removed to optimize the contact area. This segmentation allows clinicians to start with a larger pad for maximum thermal transfer area, then trim excess wings to reduce discomfort and improve efficiency, achieving the optimal balance between transfer area and patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the pad have different functionalities - the central trunk provides core thermal transfer while the optional wings can be trimmed to achieve local optimization. This allows the pad to maintain large overall area for thermal transfer while creating locally optimized contact zones that reduce discomfort.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple TTM pad sizes are maintained in storage, then correct sizing for different patients is possible, but device complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal TTM pad design with detachable wings can replace multiple size-specific pads. By configuring the wings differently (all attached, some removed, or all trimmed), one pad serves the function of multiple sized pads, eliminating the need to maintain multiple inventory items while providing complete sizing coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad system transitions from a static collection of fixed-size pads to a dynamic single-pad solution that can be configured into multiple effective sizes. This dynamic reconfiguration capability reduces device complexity and storage requirements while maintaining full adaptability to different patient sizes.
4Manufacturing precision
If TTM pads require precise orientation during placement, then thermal energy transfer efficiency is improved, but placement time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The central trunk structure is designed with asymmetric features or orientation markers that guide proper placement. This asymmetric design provides visual or tactile cues that simplify orientation, allowing clinicians to quickly identify the correct placement direction without complex alignment procedures, thus maintaining precision while reducing placement time.
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 design simplifies the placement process, enhances thermal energy transfer, reduces the need for multiple pad sizes, and minimizes the risk of improper sizing, thereby improving patient comfort and reducing medical complications.
Implementation Method 1
a medical pad for exchanging thermal energy between a TTM fluid and a patient
Implementation Method 2
the medical pad further comprises a conformable, thermally conductive hydrogel layer
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a system, apparatus and method directed to an orientable and resizable targeted temperature management (TTM) pad. The system, apparatus and method pertain to a medical pad for exchanging thermal energy between a TTM fluid and a patient. The pad can include a fluid containing layer for containing the TTM fluid, a patient contact surface to facilitate thermal energy exchange with the patient, a central trunk structure, and at least two wings branching from the central trunk structure. The fluid containing layer can be configured for circulating the TTM fluid within the fluid containing layer. The patient contact surface can be disposed at least on part of the central trunk structure. The at least two wings can be configured to be wrapped around a portion of a body of the patient. The central trunk structure may be positioned beneath the patient. The wings may be trimmed, reducing the pad's size.