Twisting Stent Control Region for Sphincter Barrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sphincter dysfunctions such as fecal incontinence, urinary incontinence, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) lead to discomfort and quality of life issues due to the inability to control bodily functions, with existing solutions like absorbent undergarments failing to prevent unintentional leakage effectively.
Innovation Solution
A self-expanding medical stent with a hollow tubular structure and a control region that twists and untwists to form a barrier, allowing controlled passage of materials through the gastrointestinal tract, providing a one-way valve mechanism to prevent unintended flow until sufficient pressure is reached, allowing normal flow and then returning to a closed configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If absorbent undergarments are used to manage fecal incontinence, then patient comfort is improved, but the ability to prevent unintentional leakage is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The stent employs a dynamic control region that can transition between closed and open configurations. The hollow tubular elongate structure in the control region is capable of rotating about the central axis, allowing it to adapt its state based on physiological conditions. This dynamic behavior enables the stent to actively prevent leakage when closed and allow normal passage when open, resolving the contradiction between prevention reliability and patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent utilizes changes in the rotational parameter of the control region to manage material passage. By rotating the hollow tubular structure approximately 360 degrees about the central axis, the control region transitions between blocking and permitting flow. This parameter change enables reliable prevention of unintentional leakage while maintaining patient comfort through controlled, reversible action.
2Reliability
If a stent with a closed control region is used to prevent leakage, then prevention of unintentional leakage is improved, but the passage of material through the body lumen is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The control region is designed as a dynamic component that rotates about the central axis to transition between closed and open states. When closed, it prevents unintentional leakage; when opened by rotating approximately 360 degrees, it restores normal material passage. This dynamic switching capability resolves the contradiction by allowing the stent to alternately prevent leakage and permit necessary flow based on physiological needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent operates through periodic transitions between closed and open configurations. The control region cycles between blocking material passage (preventing leakage) and allowing passage (enabling normal function). This periodic action resolves the contradiction by systematically alternating between prevention and productivity states, ensuring both leakage prevention and necessary material flow are achieved over time.
3Reliability
If the hollow tubular elongate structure is rotated 360 degrees to form a barrier, then prevention of material passage is improved, but the complexity of the stent structure is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is segmented into distinct functional regions: a first portion, a control region with a hollow tubular elongate structure, and a second portion. The control region can rotate independently about the central axis to form a barrier without affecting the overall structural integrity of the stent. This segmentation allows complex rotational barrier formation while maintaining relative simplicity in the overall device design.
Solution Approach 2:
The control region utilizes rotational movement about the central axis (adding a rotational dimension) to form a barrier, rather than requiring complex linear or radial mechanisms. By employing rotation in the angular dimension, the stent achieves reliable barrier formation with a relatively simple structural implementation, resolving the contradiction between barrier reliability and structural complexity.
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 stent effectively manages sphincter dysfunction by providing a controlled passage of stool or other materials, offering patients a prompt through abdominal sensation and improving quality of life by reducing unintentional leakage and discomfort.
Implementation Method 1
the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region is twisted about a central axis to form a barrier within the stent body
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates generally to stents and methods for managing passage of material through a body lumen. In some embodiments, a medical stent may include a stent body defined by a hollow tubular elongate structure extending along a central axis, the stent body including a first portion and a second portion. The medical stent may further include a control region between the first and second portions, wherein in a first configuration the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region is in a closed, twisted configuration, and wherein in a second configuration the hollow tubular elongate structure of the control region is in an open, expanded configuration.