Alternating Circumferential Bridge Stent Design for Dynamic Veins

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing stent designs struggle to accommodate the varying anatomical challenges of different body passageways, such as pelvic veins, femoral arteries, and coronary arteries, due to difficulties in providing adequate radial support, flexibility, and durability in the face of dynamic forces and compressive loads.

Innovation Solution

A modular stent design with alternating circumferential bridging members and expandable ring members, tailored to specific anatomical regions, providing varying levels of radial stiffness, flexibility, and scaffolding performance to address unique anatomical challenges.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a stent provides adequate radial support to remodel the lumen, then patency is improved, but the stent may lack flexibility to accommodate dynamic anatomical movements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveradial supportVSAvoidflexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The stent is divided into multiple modular segments along its longitudinal axis, with each segment having independently adjustable structural parameters. This segmentation allows different portions of the stent to have different radial stiffness and flexibility characteristics, enabling simultaneous provision of radial support in some regions and flexibility in others to accommodate dynamic anatomical movements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The stent incorporates varying local structural properties along its length, including different strut configurations, bridge designs, and cell geometries in different segments. This local quality variation enables the stent to provide high radial support where needed while maintaining flexibility in other regions to accommodate physiological movements and deformations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If a stent is designed for durability to survive cyclic motions, then longevity is improved, but the stent may not adequately accommodate localized stretching and compression

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovedurabilityVSAvoidaccommodation of localized deformation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The stent incorporates dynamic structural features including articulated joints, flexible bridge designs, and adaptive cell configurations that allow the stent to dynamically respond to localized stretching and compression forces. These dynamic features enable the stent to maintain structural integrity and durability while accommodating physiological movements and deformations without compromising longevity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Stability of the object's composition

If a stent provides uniform scaffolding throughout the treatment region, then structural support is improved, but the stent cannot be optimized for specific anatomical variations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuniform scaffoldingVSAvoidanatomical customization

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The stent employs varying local structural properties along its length, including different strut configurations, bridge designs, and cell geometries in different segments. This local quality variation enables the stent to provide high radial support where needed while maintaining flexibility in other regions to accommodate physiological movements and deformations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Strength

If a stent is designed with high radial stiffness to resist compression, then crush recoverability is improved, but the stent loses flexibility in mobile segments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecrush recoverabilityVSAvoidflexibility in mobile segments

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10744012B2Alternating circumferential bridge stent design and methods for use thereof

Publication Date: 2020.08.18 BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED INC

AI summary

A stent includes a first section and a second section. The second section is aligned with the first section along a longitudinal axis of the stent. Each section includes a plurality of expandable modules and a plurality of bridging modules. Each expandable module includes a plurality of strut elements that join together at a plurality of apices. Each bridging module includes bridging elements that connect an apex of a first module with an apex of a second module. The plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of bridging modules in the first section are more radially stiff than the plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of bridging modules in the second section such that at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a region of a vein subjected to physiologic compression.