Postoperative Drain Fixation
Drain Tube
Retention
Button
A 12 mm garment button transferring drain load from sutured skin onto hospital gown fabric.
◎ Conceived and designed at PGIMS Rohtak · CAD: SolidWorks · Physical prototype pending
CAD Reference · Drain Tube Retention Button Concept Development · SolidWorks
The Problem
Closed suction drains after major neck dissections are prone to dislodgement under the unsupported weight of the external connector and collection bottle assembly, a risk particularly significant after major neck dissections in oncology patients. Working with an expert with SolidWorks experience, I designed an oval button (12 mm diameter, 2.5 mm thick, U shaped drain channel sized to 7 mm OD drain tubing) that clips onto the drain tube and buttons into the patient's hospital gown, transferring load from the suture site to the garment fabric. All dimensions were derived from direct first hand clinical measurements. The oval profile was specifically selected to prevent tube slippage from the retention channel, a failure mode of the paper clip and micropore workarounds currently used in clinical practice.
Biodesign Stage Progress
| Code | Stage | Status | What Was Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Strategic Focus | ✓ Complete | Focused on postoperative drain management in head and neck oncology surgical patients |
| 1.2 | Needs Exploration | ✓ Complete | Observed recurring drain dislodgement; identified paper clip workaround as inadequate |
| 1.3 | Need Statement | ✓ Complete | Post neck dissection patients need reliable drain fixation without skin trauma |
| 2.1 | Disease State | ✓ Complete | Characterised risk profile: post chemoradiation oncology patients; consequences documented |
| 2.2 | Existing Solutions | ✓ Complete | Benchmarked against suture only fixation and paper clip methods; failure modes identified |
| 3.1 | Ideation | ✓ Complete | Conceived garment button integrated drain sleeve; oval profile selected to prevent slippage |
| 3.2 | Concept Selection | ✓ Complete | Button channel design selected; dimensions derived from direct clinical measurements |
| 4.1 | IP Basics | ► Active | IP landscape review pending; provisional filing to be initiated |
| 4.5 | Prototyping | ► Active | 3D CAD model completed in SolidWorks; physical prototype pending |
| 5+ | Implementation | ○ Pending | Regulatory, clinical validation, and commercialisation pathway to be developed |