Anchoring Delivery System for Intracranial Artery Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endovascular treatments for acute ischemic stroke face challenges in navigating complex and tortuous cerebral anatomy, leading to instability and difficulty in delivering medical devices to the target site.
Innovation Solution
An anchoring delivery system comprising a tethering device with an elongated tether and a deployable anchor, which can be used in conjunction with a guide-sheath to provide stabilization and support during device delivery in the cerebral vasculature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide catheters or guide sheaths are used to direct interventional devices to the target site, then device delivery is enabled, but stability and support during delivery are insufficient in complex and tortuous anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
An anchor is deployed in a proximal vessel (such as the aorta or subclavian artery) before guide sheath insertion. This preliminary anchoring action creates a stable reference point and support structure that prevents guide sheath prolapse during subsequent device delivery through complex anatomy
Solution Approach 2:
A tether connects the deployed anchor to the guide sheath, acting as an intermediary element that transmits support forces from the anchored proximal vessel to the guide sheath. This tether-guide sheath system provides enhanced stability and control during device delivery to tortuous cerebral vessels
2Adaptability or versatility
If catheters are advanced through highly angulated and tortuous anatomy, then access to target vessels is achieved, but catheters tend to prolapse into the ascending aorta
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor is deployed in advance in a proximal vessel to create a stable base of support before catheter advancement. This preliminary anchoring prevents catheter prolapse by providing a fixed reference point that resists retrograde forces during navigation through angulated anatomy
Solution Approach 2:
The tethered anchor system provides a counterbalancing support force that opposes the prolapsing tendency of catheters. The anchor embedded in the proximal vessel acts as a counterweight, balancing the forces that would otherwise cause catheter displacement into the ascending aorta
3Adaptability or versatility
If the aortic arch elongates against the fixed thoracic descending aorta, then physiological movement occurs, but all great vessels shift making access more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor is deployed in a proximal vessel before the effects of aortic arch elongation and vessel shifting occur. This preliminary anchoring establishes a stable platform that remains relatively fixed despite physiological movements of the great vessels, simplifying subsequent access procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The vascular access system is segmented into distinct functional components: an anchor deployed in a proximal vessel, a tether connecting to the guide sheath, and the guide sheath itself. This segmentation allows each component to address specific challenges, with the anchor providing stability against vessel shifting while the guide sheath provides access to target vessels
Data Source
AI summary
An anchoring delivery system for use in an intracranial artery is provided including a tethering device having an elongated tether and an anchor coupled to a distal end of the tether. The anchor is deployable from a low profile configuration to a higher profile configuration to fix the distal end of the tether at an anchoring site in an anchoring vessel. The tethering device is configured to be used with a guide-sheath having a lumen configured to receive the tether. Related devices, systems, and methods are also described.