Articulating Cranial Bolt Angled Ventricular Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) due to brain trauma or neurological conditions poses a challenge in locating and accessing ventricles for cerebrospinal fluid drainage, especially when ventricles are shifted or collapsed, requiring multiple skull holes and potential interference from monitoring probes.

Innovation Solution

A catheter guiding device featuring a skull bolt with a movable guide member that allows for angled insertion of a drainage catheter through a single hole, enabling precise targeting of ventricles without additional holes and minimizing probe interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple holes are drilled into the skull to locate ventricles in trauma cases, then the ventricles can be accessed, but the procedural complexity increases and time is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveventricle accessVSAvoidprocedural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member is made movable relative to the bolt, allowing dynamic adjustment of the catheter insertion angle. This enables the surgeon to angle the catheter to reach shifted ventricles while maintaining a single skull hole, resolving the contradiction between reliable ventricle access and procedural simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the angular parameter of catheter insertion by allowing the guide member to be positioned at different angles relative to the bolt. This parameter adjustment enables access to displaced ventricles without requiring multiple holes, maintaining reliability while reducing complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If multiple catheter passes are attempted to locate ventricles, then ventricle access is achieved, but the time required increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveventricle accessVSAvoidprocedural time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The movable guide member allows immediate angular adjustment to target shifted ventricles on the first attempt. This dynamic positioning capability eliminates the need for multiple time-consuming catheter passes, reducing procedural time while ensuring reliable ventricle access

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guide member can be pre-positioned at the optimal angle before catheter insertion based on imaging or ultrasound guidance. This preliminary angular adjustment ensures the first catheter pass successfully reaches the ventricles, avoiding repeated attempts and time loss

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If additional monitoring probes are inserted through skull bolt, then physiological parameters can be monitored, but sensing zones may cross over resulting in measurement errors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemonitoring capabilityVSAvoidmeasurement accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system utilizes the angular dimension by allowing the guide member to be positioned at different angles relative to the bolt. This dimensional freedom enables monitoring probes to be inserted at non-interfering angles, maintaining measurement precision while preserving monitoring versatility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2709551B1Articulating cranial bolt
Publication Date: 2021.04.28 SYNTHES GMBH
  • EP2709551B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2709551B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP2709551B1 patent drawingFigure 6~8

AI summary

A catheter guiding device includes a bolt including a shaft configured to be inserted within a hole drilled in a bone and a passageway extending longitudinally therethrough along a bolt axis and a guide member received within the passageway of the bolt and extending longitudinally along a guide axis. The guide member includes a guide channel extending therethrough along the guide axis, wherein, in a first configuration, the guide member is arrangeable to a desired position relative to the bolt to align the guide axis with a target area and, in a second configuration, the guide member is fixed in the desired position relative to the bolt such that the guide axis is at a desired angle relative to the bolt axis within a permitted range of angulations.