Articulating Lung Ablation Assembly with Expandable Tips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current minimally invasive therapies for conditions like emphysema face challenges in effectively ablating diseased lung tissue due to collateral ventilation and the difficulty in controlling scarring, leading to incomplete occlusion and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive articulating assembly with a guide sheath delivering two steerable and expandable ablation devices to a bifurcated lung section, where the devices transition from a collapsed to an expanded configuration to apply compression and RF energy for precise ablation of diseased tissue, minimizing impact on healthy tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical implant devices are used to achieve absorptive atelectasis by preventing air from entering diseased lung portions, then lung volume reduction is attempted, but collateral ventilation through bypass passages prevents complete occlusion and reduces effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical occlusion devices with a delivery system that uses energy emission (RF ablation) to destroy diseased tissue. Instead of attempting to mechanically block air passages which fails due to collateral ventilation, the system delivers energy to ablate the target tissue, achieving volume reduction through tissue destruction rather than mechanical occlusion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from mechanical parameter control (occlusion pressure) to energy parameter control (RF power, temperature, ablation duration). By controlling energy delivery parameters, the system can precisely ablate diseased tissue while sparing healthy tissue, overcoming the limitation of mechanical devices that cannot achieve complete occlusion due to collateral pathways
2Manufacturing precision
If biological treatments utilizing tissue engineering are used to cause scarring at specific locations for lung volume reduction, then tissue remodeling is attempted, but it is difficult to control the scarring and prevent uncontrolled proliferation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces biological tissue engineering processes with direct energy-based ablation. Instead of relying on uncontrolled biological scarring processes that are difficult to predict and control, the system uses RF energy to directly destroy target tissue with precise spatial control, eliminating the variability and unpredictability of biological responses
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses imaging guidance to create a precise map of the target tissue and plans the ablation trajectory accordingly. The delivery system is steered to match the planned path, ensuring that energy is delivered exactly to the intended location without affecting surrounding healthy tissue, achieving precision that biological processes cannot provide
3Manufacturing precision
If expandable ablation devices are deployed to apply compression and RF energy to target tissue, then precise ablation is achieved, but the device complexity increases with multiple steerable and expandable components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where the expandable ablation device is contained within a delivery catheter, which is itself navigated through a steerable guide system. The ablation device collapses within the catheter for delivery through tortuous anatomy, then expands at the target site. This nesting allows complex functionality to be delivered through a relatively simple access pathway
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic components including expandable balloons or frames that transition from a collapsed delivery state to an expanded treatment state. The steerable catheter also dynamically changes its configuration to navigate tortuous anatomy and position the ablation device accurately. These dynamic transformations allow the system to adapt its form factor to different stages of the procedure
4Ease of operation
If minimally invasive procedures are used to treat diseased lung tissue, then patient recovery is improved, but the ability to achieve complete ablation of target tissue is reduced compared to open surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses energy-based ablation through a minimally invasive delivery system to achieve tissue destruction equivalent to open surgery but with smaller access requirements. The RF energy delivers thermal damage to the target tissue, achieving complete ablation without the need for large incisions or extensive surgical exposure, thus maintaining both minimally invasive benefits and surgical-level efficacy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs controlled RF energy delivery with periodic pulsing or cycling of energy application. This allows for controlled heating and ablation of target tissue while managing thermal spread to protect surrounding healthy tissue. The periodic action enables complete ablation of the target volume while maintaining safety margins, achieving surgical-level completeness through a minimally invasive approach
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables controlled and immediate ablation of diseased tissue with reduced risk to surrounding healthy tissue, allowing for immediate debulking and complete removal of the assembly, avoiding long-term implantation issues.
Implementation Method 1
One or both of the distal applicator tips further includes an electrode array configured to emit RF energy upon the target tissue for subsequent ablation thereof
Implementation Method 2
emit RF energy upon the target tissue for subsequent ablation thereof
Implementation Method 3
the applicator tip is expanded and is shaped and sized in such a manner so as to become lodged or anchored within the pathway and thereby apply at least a degree of compression upon the target tissue
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a minimally invasive articulating configured to be advanced through tortuous anatomy, particularly within a lung, and subsequently deliver at least two separately deployable ablation devices to a target site located at a bifurcated section of the lung (i.e., at a bronchial airway bifurcation). The pair of ablation devices are separately steerable towards respective first and second pathways extending from the bifurcation, such that each of the ablation devices can be positioned on either side of a target tissue proximate the bifurcation. The first and second ablation devices include expandable distal tips configured to transition to a deployed configuration, in which each expands in diameter and is configured to apply a degree of compression and/or RF energy emission to target lung tissue (i.e., diseased tissue, such as cancer or emphysema-related damaged tissue) for subsequent ablation thereof.