Ball and Socket Catheter Deployment for Tortuous Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current atherectomy catheters face challenges in accessing small, tortuous vascular regions and effectively removing atheromatous materials, particularly calcified plaque, in a controlled and precise manner.
Innovation Solution
A tissue-removing catheter with a ball and socket deployment mechanism, where a ball member is axially constrained and capable of pivoting relative to a socket member, allowing the cutting element to pivot and extend radially for precise cutting and collection of tissue within the vascular lumen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a rotatable cutting blade is used to remove atheromatous material, then tissue removal capability is improved, but the ability to access small and tortuous vascular regions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into distinct functional segments: a flexible catheter body for navigation, a deployable cutting element for tissue removal, and a ball-and-socket deployment mechanism for controlled positioning. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, enabling the cutting element to be activated only when properly positioned in the target vessel segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutting element transitions from a retracted state during navigation to an extended cutting position during tissue removal. The ball-and-socket mechanism enables dynamic deployment, allowing the cutting element to be extended radially outward only when needed, maintaining a compact profile during navigation through tortuous vessels while providing effective cutting capability at the target site.
2Productivity
If the cutting element is extended radially for effective cutting, then tissue removal efficiency is improved, but control and precision during deployment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The ball-and-socket mechanism serves as an intermediary between the drive shaft and the cutting element. This intermediate mechanism translates axial movement of the drive shaft into controlled radial extension of the cutting element, providing mechanical advantage and precise control over the deployment process while maintaining the ability to extend the cutting element fully for effective tissue removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The ball-and-socket joint utilizes spherical geometry to enable controlled angular movement and radial extension of the cutting element. The spherical interface allows for smooth, controlled deployment while maintaining precise control over the cutting element's position and orientation, enabling both full extension for efficient cutting and controlled retraction for safety.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter is made flexible to access tortuous regions, then adaptability to vascular geometry is improved, but structural stability for precise cutting deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter structure is segmented into a flexible catheter body for navigation and a stabilized cutting assembly for tissue removal. The flexible body allows navigation through tortuous vessels, while the cutting element with its ball-and-socket deployment mechanism provides structural stability when extended, ensuring precise cutting performance despite the flexibility of the catheter body.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the catheter have different mechanical properties: the catheter body is designed to be flexible for navigation, while the cutting element and its deployment mechanism are designed with higher structural stability. This local differentiation of mechanical properties allows the catheter to be flexible where needed for access while maintaining stability where needed for precise cutting.
Data Source
AI summary
A deployment mechanism of a tissue-removing catheter includes a socket member received in a catheter body that is capable of moving longitudinally therein, and a ball member extending distally from the distal end portion of the cutting element and operatively connected to the socket member. The ball member is constrained axially relative to the socket member and is capable of pivoting relative to the socket member for allowing pivoting of the cutting element relative to the socket when the cutting element is moved from a retracted position to a cutting position.