Angioplasty Balloon Shockwave Lesion Cracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Calcified lesions in blood vessels require high pressures for dilation, leading to vessel trauma, dissection, thrombus formation, and restenosis due to the rapid expansion of angioplasty balloons, which can cause undue stress and injury to the vessel walls.
Innovation Solution
A method using an angioplasty catheter with a fluid-fillable balloon and an electrode pair to generate plasma arcs and shockwaves, delivering mechanical energy to crack calcified lesions without excessive pressure, allowing the balloon to expand further and enlarge the vessel opening safely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high pressure is applied to dilate calcified lesions, then the calcified plaque is broken and blood flow is restored, but vessel trauma, dissection, and restenosis occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical high-pressure balloon dilation system with an electrical discharge system. Electrodes deliver controlled electrical energy to the calcified lesion, causing fragmentation through electro-erosion rather than mechanical force. This substitution eliminates the need for high pressures (10-30 atmospheres) that cause vessel trauma, while still achieving effective plaque breakdown and restoring blood flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameter from mechanical pressure to electrical energy delivery. Instead of increasing pressure to break calcified lesions, the system uses controlled electrical discharges with specific voltage, current, and pulse duration parameters to fragment the plaque. This parameter transformation allows lesion treatment without the harmful high-pressure effects that cause dissection and restenosis.
2Area of stationary object
If angioplasty balloon is inflated to maximum diameter to open vessel passage, then blood flow is restored, but tremendous energy is released causing rapid expansion and vessel wall injury
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary fragmentation of the calcified lesion using electrical discharges before attempting dilation. By breaking down the calcified plaque structure in advance through controlled electrical erosion, the vessel opening is gradually enlarged without requiring sudden high-pressure balloon expansion. This preliminary action eliminates the need for tremendous energy release and rapid balloon expansion that injure vessel walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical high-pressure expansion mechanism with an electrical discharge-based fragmentation and gradual opening mechanism. Instead of inflating the balloon to maximum diameter which releases stored energy and injures the vessel, the system uses electrical energy to progressively break down and remove calcified material, allowing controlled enlargement of the vessel lumen without harmful stress concentration.
3Productivity
If non-concentric calcified lesions are treated with high pressure, then the lesion is opened, but undue stress is placed on the free wall of the vessel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by delivering electrical discharges directly to the calcified lesion site through positioned electrodes. The electrical energy is concentrated at the plaque location, fragmenting it locally without applying uniform high pressure to the entire vessel circumference. This localized treatment opens the lesion while sparing the free wall from undue stress, as the electrical erosion is focused only where needed rather than distributing mechanical force throughout the vessel wall.
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
This approach effectively cracks calcified lesions with controlled mechanical energy, reducing the risk of vessel trauma and restenosis by avoiding high-pressure expansion, thereby improving the safety and efficacy of angioplasty procedures.
Implementation Method 1
Each pulse has an amplitude sufficient to create a plasma in the fluid. The plurality of pulses create a plurality of plasma arcs at the electrode pair
Implementation Method 2
The plurality of plasma arcs create a plurality of shockwaves in the fluid that are conducted through the angioplasty balloon to the blood vessel, thereby delivering mechanical energy to the calcified lesion to crack the calcified lesion
Data Source
AI summary
A method is disclosed for treating calcified lesions within a wall of a blood vessel. The first step includes breaking apart a calcified lesion using a plurality of shockwaves generated in an angioplasty balloon of an angioplasty catheter device. The angioplasty balloon is dilated via a fluid to a first extent to fit against at least a portion of the wall of the blood vessel. A plurality of electrical pulses are delivered to a pair of electrodes disposed within the fluid inside the balloon. The electrical pulses have an amplitude sufficient to create plasma arcs in the fluid to generate shockwaves that are conducted through the fluid and through the balloon to the blood vessel, to crack the calcified lesion. After breaking apart the calcified lesion, the angioplasty balloon is allowed to further expand to a second extent greater than the first extent, thereby expanding an opening in the blood vessel.