Clog-Preventing Valved Catheter with Stylet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Catheters used for neurological treatments are prone to clogging during insertion into soft brain tissue, leading to potential tissue damage and loss of medication, due to the soft consistency of brain tissue causing fluid to be forced back out of the catheter rather than being delivered to the treatment site.
Innovation Solution
An anti-clogging catheter design featuring a tubular cannula with a smaller distal end and a solid stylet that fits within the cannula and tip, preventing biological material from entering the tip and maintaining a fluid path for precise delivery, thereby preventing clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a catheter is inserted into soft brain tissue, then the catheter can deliver medication to the treatment site, but the soft tissue readily separates and pushes into the catheter causing clogging
Solution Approach 1:
A stylet is pre-inserted into the catheter tip to maintain the opening in a patent state before and during the insertion process, preventing tissue from entering and clogging the catheter before medication delivery begins
Solution Approach 2:
The stylet acts as an intermediary object that temporarily occupies the catheter lumen to prevent brain tissue from entering, allowing the catheter to be inserted through soft tissue without clogging, and is later removed to allow fluid flow
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the catheter tip is clogged, then tissue damage is prevented during insertion, but fluid cannot flow to the delivery site and pressure builds up inside the catheter
Solution Approach 1:
The stylet is inserted in advance to maintain catheter patency, preventing the clogging that would otherwise cause pressure buildup and potential tissue damage while ensuring fluid can flow to the delivery site
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter design changes the physical parameters of the tip opening and stylet dimensions to create a precise fit that prevents tissue entry while allowing controlled fluid flow, addressing both tissue protection and delivery reliability
3Productivity
If the catheter tip opening is large enough to allow fluid flow, then medication can be delivered, but brain tissue easily enters and clogs the opening
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter tip is designed with a specific local geometry and the stylet is dimensioned to match, creating a localized precision fit that prevents tissue entry while maintaining adequate fluid flow capability through the controlled opening
Solution Approach 2:
The stylet is pre-positioned in the catheter to maintain the tip opening in a controlled state that prevents tissue clogging while preserving fluid flow pathways, ensuring both productivity and reliability
4Reliability
If a stylet is used to prevent clogging, then the catheter remains patent, but the stylet must be removed to allow fluid flow
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is divided into separate components - the catheter body and the removable stylet - allowing the stylet to be inserted and removed independently to transition between insertion and delivery phases
Solution Approach 2:
The stylet is designed to be movable within the catheter, transitioning from an inserted state during placement to a removed state during fluid delivery, providing dynamic adaptability to different operational phases
Data Source
AI summary
An anti-clogging catheter includes a hollow cannula defining a first interior diameter and a distal end defining a second interior diameter smaller than the first interior diameter. A solid stylet is movable within the fluid passageway and has an outer diameter substantially equal to the second interior diameter of the cannula, the stylet and cannula together defining (1) a closed fluid pathway that prevents neurological material from passing into the distal end of the cannula when the distal end of the stylet is extended into the distal end of the cannula and (2) an open fluid pathway that allows fluid to flow in a single contiguous path around the distal end of the stylet and out of the distal end of the cannula when the distal end of the stylet is retracted away from the distal end of the cannula and remains within the body of the cannula.