Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device with Snare Tensioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for addressing thrombus formation in the left atrial appendage, such as open-heart surgery, are invasive and carry significant risks, and alternative minimally invasive techniques are not effective in preventing blood flow into the appendage.
Innovation Solution
Development of closure devices featuring a snare loop assembly with a suture loop and tensioning devices that allow for controlled ligation of the left atrial appendage, using a snare loop assembly that can be mounted on a handle and includes force-reducing suture locks and tensioning mechanisms to ensure secure closure without disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If open-heart surgery is used to suture the left atrial appendage, then effective closure and thrombus prevention are achieved, but patient risk and invasiveness increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical open-heart surgical system with a minimally invasive intravascular delivery system. The closure device is delivered through a catheter via the vasculature, eliminating the need for chest opening, cardiopulmonary bypass, and general anesthesia, thus reducing patient risk while maintaining closure effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a minimally invasive closure device as an intermediary between the surgeon and the left atrial appendage. This device can be delivered through a catheter and deployed inside the appendage or at its base, providing effective closure without requiring direct surgical access to the heart
2Object-affected harmful factors
If minimally invasive intravascular approaches are used, then patient risk is reduced, but closure effectiveness and blood flow prevention may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The closure device is segmented into multiple functional components: a delivery catheter for minimally invasive access, a closure element (such as a snare, loop, or occluder) for effective sealing, and a deployment mechanism for controlled release. This segmentation allows the device to navigate the vasculature easily while maintaining the capability for secure closure
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes parameter changes such as shape memory effects or phase transitions to enable the closure element to transform from a compressed delivery state to an expanded functional state upon deployment, ensuring effective closure while maintaining minimally invasive delivery
3Reliability
If the suture loop is tensioned to ensure secure closure, then closure reliability improves, but the risk of suture disengagement or tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tensioning device incorporates feedback mechanisms such as force sensors, displacement sensors, or torque sensors that provide real-time information about the tension applied to the suture loop. This feedback allows the operator to monitor and control the tension within safe limits, ensuring secure closure without exceeding the strength thresholds of the suture or tissue
Solution Approach 2:
The tensioning device allows dynamic adjustment of suture tension during the procedure. The operator can gradually increase tension while monitoring tissue response and suture behavior, enabling optimization of closure security while preventing excessive force that could cause disengagement or damage
Data Source
AI summary
Described here are closure devices and methods for ligating tissue, such as the left atrial appendage, and tensioning devices and mechanism for actuating these devices. The tensioning mechanisms and devices may allow a user to apply one or more predetermined forces to a suture or other portion of the closure devices. The closure devices may comprise a suture loop releasably attached to a snare loop assembly, and a tensioning mechanism or device may be configured to tighten the suture loop and/or release the suture loop from the snare loop assembly.