Problem Statement
Due to various medical conditions there could be a possibility that makes a person unable to eat his or her food and medicines. When that happens, a Ryles tube is inserted into the patient through the nostrils and a feeding syringe is attached through which crushed medicine and liquid food is feed. This medical condition is called dysphagia and it can be caused by many reasons example old age, accident, stroke, head injury, cancer, surgery, etc.
Service Area Chart
The patients in the injured category to a critical category zone are supposed to have a higher probability of being feed through the Ryles tube irrespective of the medical condition which is causing dysphagia. Here one product can solve this problem of feeding food and medicine via monitored automation.
User Journey Mapping
Important Findings
Through intense research in hospitals and collaborative sharing, we made a user journey map. The key findings are listed below:
- Putting the Ryles tube in the patient is a one time process.
- A critical examination of food and medicine is necessary.
- The flow of slurry of food or medicine needs to be slow and constant.
- Proper training is required to administer food and medicine through the Ryles tube so that no air comes in the tube. If wrongly administer patient may vomit which is a cause of concern for any recovering patient or critical patient.
- Medicines have to be crushed in mortar and pestle, which causes a loss of mg per dose.
Process Semantics
The main aim is to deliver food and medicine in slurry form to the patient. It is important to keep a different supply system for food and medicine to avoid intermixing of both the liquids. The delivery system would require some form of pressure that may be generated via pneumatic force. The next important stage is to mix food and medicine with water and form a slurry. For this stage, water would be added to the container containing food or medicine that would then be mixed via a mixing blade to make a consistent slurry of food or medicine. The pneumatic pressure would then push the food or medicine mixture through a common valve that is connected to the Ryles tube.
3D Renders
Exploded View
Prototyping
Final Prototype
The final prototype for blend aid pro was made using the best quality of acrylic sheets available and, it was shaped to the desired form. The pneumatic pipes used in the construction of the prototype were food grade and were installed using great care. To avoid any contamination which may occur during the operation of the prototype, all of the electrical components were concealed properly. The prototype was used with water to check the flow and, then a small quantity of feed was used to check the flow through the tubes. All this operation was done with the flick of a switch and, the slurry was delivered through the Ryles tube. It was seen that the flow through the Ryles tube was even and slow and, it shut off immediately as the switch was turned off. No human testing was done with the prototype and it is safe to assume that with a better-made prototype, it would be safe for human testing.
Patent pending