Ventilation Tube Introducer With a Soft Atraumatic Tip
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Endotracheal tube introducers with a blunt tip cause tissue damage during insertion due to the rigidity of the plastic shaft, making proper placement difficult, especially in individuals with challenging anatomy.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation tube introducer with a soft atraumatic tip, comprising a plastic shaft with a distal member made of an elastomer having a lower hardness than the proximal member, and a bulbous tip to reduce tissue damage during insertion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a blunt tip is used on a single-piece plastic shaft introducer, then the introducer maintains structural rigidity and ease of manufacture, but it causes tissue damage during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The introducer is divided into two separate members: a proximal member made of rigid plastic and a distal member made of soft elastomer. This segmentation allows each member to be optimized for its specific function - the proximal member for structural rigidity and ease of manufacture, and the distal member for minimizing tissue damage during insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The introducer combines two different materials with complementary properties: rigid plastic for the proximal member to provide structural support and ease of manufacture, and soft elastomer for the distal member to reduce tissue damage. This composite construction resolves the contradiction between manufacturing ease and tissue safety.
2Device complexity
If a single-piece plastic shaft is used, then the introducer is simple in structure and easy to manufacture, but the rigidity causes tissue damage during insertion
Solution Approach 1:
The single-piece plastic shaft is segmented into two separate members - a proximal plastic member and a distal elastomer member. This segmentation reduces device complexity by allowing independent optimization of each member's material properties, enabling the distal member to be soft and atraumatic while the proximal member remains structurally sound.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the introducer are assigned different material qualities appropriate to their function: the proximal member uses rigid plastic for structural support, while the distal member uses soft elastomer for tissue contact. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall structural simplicity and local tissue safety.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a soft tip is used, then tissue damage is reduced, but the shaft loses rigidity and becomes difficult to manipulate
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is segmented into two members with different material properties: the proximal plastic member maintains rigidity for manipulation, while the distal elastomer member provides softness to reduce tissue damage. This segmentation allows the shaft to simultaneously possess both rigidity and softness in different locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite construction combines rigid plastic and soft elastomer materials, allowing the shaft to have different mechanical properties in different sections. The proximal rigid section provides manipulation strength, while the distal soft section minimizes tissue damage, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and tissue safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device, comprising a ventilation tube introducer; the ventilation tube introducer in a form of a plastic shaft having a longitudinal axis; the plastic shaft having two shaft members arranged axially along the longitudinal axis; the two shaft members provided by a shaft proximal member and a shaft distal member; a proximal terminal end of the introducer provided by the shaft proximal member and a distal terminal end of the introducer provided by the shaft distal member; the shaft proximal member and the shaft distal member are joined to each other; and the shaft proximal member formed of plastic and the shaft distal member formed of an elastomer having a hardness which is lower than a hardness of the plastic of the shaft proximal member.