Vacuum Valve Hydrating Particulate Biomaterial
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for hydrating particulate bone graft materials with liquid components result in gas pockets and inconsistencies due to porosity and aeration, leading to performance variations and increased procedural time and cost, especially with fine particulate materials that non-uniformly absorb liquids.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum device and valve system that selectively connects particulate and liquid containers to withdraw gas and introduce liquid biomaterials, ensuring uniform hydration by generating a vacuum to remove gas and facilitating the absorption of the liquid into the particulate material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If bone graft materials are mixed in delivery devices with porosity and aeration, then the mixture can be delivered through small diameter cannulae, but gas pockets form and create inconsistencies in the final bone graft material
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary vacuum treatment to remove gas from the particulate biomaterial before liquid biomaterial is added. This preliminary action prevents gas pocket formation during subsequent mixing and delivery, ensuring uniformity while maintaining deliverability through small diameter cannulae.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum device extracts gas from the particulate biomaterial container before liquid biomaterial is introduced. By removing gas pockets in advance, the system eliminates the source of inconsistencies that would otherwise form during mixing and delivery through small diameter cannulae.
2Reliability
If liquid biomaterial is added to particulate biomaterial to hydrate it, then the bone graft material becomes ready for use, but additional time is required for the liquid to displace gas and disperse throughout the particulate material
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary vacuum treatment to remove gas from the particulate biomaterial before liquid biomaterial is added. This preliminary gas removal eliminates the need for extended hydration time required for liquid to displace gas, significantly reducing the time to ready the bone graft material for use.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum device extracts gas from the particulate biomaterial container before liquid biomaterial is introduced. By removing gas pockets in advance, the system eliminates the time-consuming process of liquid displacing gas during hydration, rapidly achieving ready-to-use consistency.
3Ease of operation
If fine particulate biomaterial is used, then the bone graft material can be delivered through small diameter cannulae, but the fine particulate tends to non-uniformly absorb the liquid component
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary vacuum treatment to remove gas from fine particulate biomaterial before liquid is added. This preliminary action prevents gas pockets from interfering with uniform liquid absorption, ensuring consistent hydration while maintaining the fine particle size needed for delivery through small diameter cannulae.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum device extracts gas from the fine particulate biomaterial container before liquid biomaterial is introduced. By removing gas pockets in advance, the system eliminates barriers to uniform liquid absorption, ensuring homogeneous mixing while preserving the fine particle characteristics required for small diameter cannulae delivery.
4Ease of manufacture
If gas is present in the bone graft material mixture, then the material can be easily mixed and delivered, but the gas collects into pockets that create inconsistencies and performance variation
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum device extracts gas from the particulate biomaterial container before liquid biomaterial is introduced and during the mixing process. By continuously removing gas, the system maintains ease of mixing while preventing gas pocket formation that would otherwise create inconsistencies and performance variation in the final bone graft material.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary vacuum treatment to remove gas from the particulate biomaterial before mixing begins. This preliminary gas removal ensures that subsequent mixing is easy while preventing the formation of inconsistent gas pockets, achieving both ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision.
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
This approach reduces gas pockets, enhances uniformity of the biomaterial mixture, and decreases procedural time and costs by efficiently hydrating particulate biomaterials, ensuring consistent performance and improved surgical outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum device configured to generate a vacuum and a valve for withdrawing a gas from the particulate biomaterial
Implementation Method 2
facilitating the absorption of the liquid into the particulate material
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for hydrating a particulate biomaterial with a liquid biomaterial includes a vacuum device and a valve for withdrawing a gas from the particulate biomaterial and introducing the liquid biomaterial. The valve includes a hub, a valve body, a particulate port, a vacuum port, and a liquid port. The valve body selectively moves between first and second positions. The valve body at least partially defines a first passage and a second passage. The particulate port, the vacuum port, and the liquid port are each configured to fluidly connect to a particulate container, the vacuum device, and the liquid container, respectively. In the first position, the first passage fluidly connects the vacuum port to the particulate port for withdrawing the gas from the particulate container. In the second position, the second passage fluidly connects the liquid port to the particulate port for hydrating the particulate biomaterial.