Expandable Stent Membrane Device for Aneurysm Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) lack effective, minimally invasive solutions, leading to significant risks and complications, including high mortality rates and the need for frequent follow-up imaging, as existing methods either require major surgery or have durability issues with endovascular repair.
Innovation Solution
The development of systems and methods for delivering aneurysm-stabilizing substances to the aortic wall using devices with expandable stents and membranes that minimize outward radial pressure, allowing for the stabilization of aneurysm growth through the application of therapeutic agents that target multiple biochemical pathways, including elastin, collagen, and inflammation, while ensuring uninterrupted blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If endovascular stent graft repair is performed, then invasiveness is reduced and perioperative mortality decreases, but durability is compromised and delayed complications such as endoleaks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the aortic wall treatment into three distinct functional layers: an outer layer for mechanical reinforcement, a middle layer for biochemical stabilization, and an inner layer for controlled substance delivery. This segmentation allows each layer to address specific aspects of aneurysm pathology independently, achieving both minimally invasive delivery and durable long-term stabilization without compromising reliability.
2Reliability
If open surgical repair is performed, then durability is improved, but invasiveness increases and recovery period extends
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs a nested structure where multiple functional components are contained within a single deliverable system: the stent framework contains the middle layer, which contains the inner layer with substance reservoirs. This nesting allows the complex multi-functional device to be delivered through minimally invasive endovascular access while maintaining the durability and comprehensive treatment capability previously requiring open surgery.
3Reliability
If therapeutic substances are applied to stabilize elastin degradation, then aneurysm enlargement is reduced, but the treatment pathway is limited to single mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The device achieves multi-functionality by integrating three distinct therapeutic mechanisms into a single system: mechanical reinforcement through the outer layer, biochemical stabilization through the middle layer, and controlled substance delivery through the inner layer. This universal approach addresses multiple pathological pathways simultaneously (mechanical stress, enzymatic degradation, inflammatory processes), making the treatment adaptable to diverse aneurysm etiologies and preventing reliance on a single mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods are described for delivering aneurysm stabilizing substances that may act in more than one pathway to the aneurysmal wall to prevent further enlargement of an aneurysm while allowing blood flow through the treatment area. Methods, devices and features for removal of the delivery device after the treatment are also disclosed.