Aspiration Catheter Centering Assembly for Vessel Wall Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thrombectomy devices often draw tissue, such as vessel walls, into the catheter during clot aspiration, leading to tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
The development of an aspiration system with a centering assembly that includes an elongate shaft, a supply lumen, an aspiration lumen, an orifice, and a centering assembly to prevent vessel tissue from being drawn into the aspiration lumen and coming into close proximity to the orifice during aspiration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If simple aspiration tube type devices are used to extract thrombus, then the device structure is simple, but tissue damage occurs due to vessel wall being drawn into the catheter
Solution Approach 1:
A centering assembly acts as an intermediary component between the aspiration catheter and the vessel wall. This assembly includes a centering element with a proximal portion that engages the vessel wall and a distal portion that engages the catheter, creating a controlled spatial relationship that prevents harmful tissue ingestion while maintaining effective thrombus aspiration
Solution Approach 2:
The centering assembly dynamically adjusts the radial position parameter of the catheter relative to the vessel wall. By modifying the spatial arrangement through the centering element's engagement with both the vessel wall and catheter, the system changes the positional parameter to prevent tissue damage during aspiration
2Productivity
If high pressure is used to macerate thrombus, then thrombus removal effectiveness is improved, but the risk of drawing tissue into the catheter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centering assembly serves as a mediator that decouples the high-pressure maceration function from the tissue interaction risk. By establishing a controlled spatial relationship between the catheter and vessel wall, it allows effective thrombus removal through the orifice while preventing tissue from being drawn into the aspiration path
Solution Approach 2:
The centering element performs a preliminary protective action by establishing proper catheter positioning before high-pressure maceration begins. The engagement between the centering element and both the vessel wall and catheter creates a preventive mechanism that counteracts the potential harmful effect of tissue ingestion during subsequent high-pressure thrombus removal
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
The centering assembly effectively positions the distal end of the catheter within the blood vessel, preventing tissue damage by keeping the vessel wall away from the aspiration lumen and orifice, thus ensuring a safer aspiration process.
Implementation Method 1
The centering assembly is configured for centering the distal end of the elongate shaft within the blood vessel
Implementation Method 2
The orifice is configured to allow injection of pressurized fluid into the aspiration lumen when the pressurized fluid is delivered through the supply lumen
Implementation Method 3
systems that use very high pressure to macerate the thrombus and create a venturi effect to flush the macerated material away
Implementation Method 4
simple aspiration tube type devices using vacuum syringes to extract thrombus into the syringe
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are embodiments of an aspiration catheter comprising a centering assembly for preventing vessel tissue from being drawn into the aspiration lumen and/or into close proximity to an injection of pressurized fluid from a supply lumen during aspiration of a thrombus. The centering assembly may include one or more balloons mounted adjacent to the distal end of the aspiration catheter and which can be selectively inflated to center the distal end of the aspiration catheter within vessel lumen and space the distal end apart from the vessel wall.