Intrauterine Mesh Pouch With Expanding Minisponges for PPH Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for managing post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) require complex procedures or skilled clinical intervention, and there is a need for a device that can be reliably deployed by personnel with limited training.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising a porous pouch containing a plurality of minisponges that absorb blood and expand to apply pressure, allowing rapid deployment and removal, with an applicator system for easy insertion and extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex procedures or skilled clinical intervention are used to manage PPH, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the hemostatic function into multiple independent minisponges contained within a pouch, allowing simple insertion without complex deployment procedures. The minisponges automatically expand upon contact with blood, eliminating the need for skilled manual manipulation while maintaining effective hemostasis.
Solution Approach 2:
The minisponges are designed to automatically expand when they contact blood, without requiring any active intervention or complex activation mechanism. This self-activating behavior simplifies the procedure to basic insertion while ensuring reliable hemostatic action through the natural expansion and pressure application of the sponges.
2Measurement precision
If skilled clinical intervention is required, then treatment precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs the complex function of precise uterine packing and hemostasis automatically through the self-expanding minisponges. The operator only needs to insert the pouch, and the minisponges autonomously expand to fill the uterine cavity and apply pressure where needed, eliminating the need for skilled manual packing techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The pouch acts as an intermediary carrier that simplifies insertion while the minisponges serve as the active hemostatic agents. This separation allows the device to be easily inserted as a simple pouch while the minisponges perform the complex hemostatic function automatically upon contact with blood.
3Ease of operation
If rapid deployment is achieved through simple design, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses multiple small minisponges within a pouch instead of a single complex structure. This segmentation allows simple insertion of the entire pouch while the individual minisponges distribute themselves and expand throughout the uterine cavity, achieving both ease of deployment and effective coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The minisponges are nested within the pouch for easy insertion, and upon contact with blood, they expand outward from this nested configuration to fill the uterine cavity. This nested structure enables rapid deployment without requiring complex activation mechanisms.
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 device effectively manages PPH by absorbing blood and applying pressure to stanch flow, facilitating rapid deployment and removal even by less skilled personnel, thereby reducing maternal mortality.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of sponges disposed within a tubular pouch, into a patient's uterus, wherein each of the plurality of sponges is configured to expand in volume upon absorption of a fluid
Implementation Method 2
The device effectively manages PPH by absorbing blood and applying pressure to stanch flow
Data Source
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AI summary
An intra-uterine device for treating post-partum hemorrhage (PPH) is described, along with an applicator system. In embodiments, the PPH device is comprised of a mesh pouch that is filled with a plurality of sponges. Each sponge is designed to expand upon absorption of fluids, such as blood. The collective expansion of the sponges within the mesh pouch causes the PPH device to expand within a patient's uterus, thus applying pressure to stanch blood flow. The PPH device is loaded into an applicator which is then inserted into a patient, and a corresponding plunger is used to deploy the PPH device. Following completion of treatment, the PPH device may be removed using a removal strand attached to the pouch that is exposed outside of the patient.