Adjustable Vascular Valve for Venous Insufficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for venous valve insufficiency, such as elastic stockings and invasive surgeries, are uncomfortable, risky, or require long recovery times, and existing vascular devices may not adequately adjust to varying vessel sizes, limiting their effectiveness in treating venous valve insufficiency.
Innovation Solution
A vascular device with an adjustable intermediate looped portion that supports a valve, allowing it to move between open and closed positions, and is designed to expand and contract to fit different vessel diameters, enabling minimally invasive treatment of venous valve insufficiency by bringing the vessel wall into apposition and potentially replacing non-functional valve leaflets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If elastic stockings are used to treat venous valve insufficiency, then the valve leaflets can be forced into apposition, but the patient experiences physical discomfort and psychological distress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the external stocking from the treatment system and replaces it with an internal device that performs the same function of forcing valve leaflets into apposition, thereby eliminating the discomfort associated with external compression
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate device (the vascular device with collapsible support) that mediates between the need for valve support and patient comfort, providing internal support without requiring external compression garments
2Reliability
If surgical implantation of a cuff is performed to treat venous valve insufficiency, then the valve leaflets can be brought into apposition, but the patient requires long recovery time and undergoes significant trauma
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the treatment into a minimally invasive delivery system that can be introduced through a small catheter rather than requiring a large surgical incision, thereby reducing trauma and recovery time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the collapsible support and valve are contained within a delivery catheter, allowing the device to be delivered through a small incision and then deployed internally to perform the surgical function with minimal external trauma
3Device complexity
If a fixed-diameter vascular device is used, then the device structure is simple, but the device cannot adapt to varying vessel sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a collapsible support structure that can dynamically change its diameter, allowing the device to be delivered in a compressed state through a catheter and then expand to match the specific diameter of the target vessel, thereby achieving adaptability without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the support structure from fixed to variable diameter, enabling the device to adapt to different vessel sizes while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of expandable geometries
Data Source
AI summary
A vascular device for treating vein valve insufficiency including an elongated member, a first retention portion movable from a first elongated insertion position to an expanded position and a second retention portion movable from a first elongated insertion position to an expanded position. An intermediate looped portion is positioned between the first portion and the second portion. The valve is supported by the intermediate looped portion and is movable between an open position to allow blood flow therethrough and a closed position to inhibit blood flow therethrough. The intermediate looped portion is adjustable to loops of different diameters dependent on an inner diameter of the vessel wall.