Basket Clot Removal Device with Collapsible Strut Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for removing blood clots from blood vessels are inadequate, as clot-dissolving drugs do not immediately dissolve clots, and there is a need for devices that can capture and remove clots to prevent tissue damage from occlusions in critical areas like the brain, lungs, or heart.
Innovation Solution
A medical device comprising a shaft with strut members that form a basket-like structure for capturing blood clots, which can be advanced to a clot location, capture the clot, and then removed, featuring slidable end regions for collapsing and expanding to facilitate navigation and clot retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If clot-dissolving drugs are used, then the clot can be dissolved, but the dissolution is not immediate and tissue damage may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The device extracts and removes the clot from the blood vessel directly, rather than relying on chemical dissolution. The basket structure captures the clot and the retrieval mechanism pulls it out through the vascular system, providing immediate removal without the time delay inherent in drug-based dissolution methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical mechanism of clot dissolution with a mechanical retrieval system. The basket-like structure mechanically captures and extracts the clot, substituting the need for pharmacological action with a physical removal mechanism that acts immediately upon contact with the clot.
2Productivity
If a basket structure is used to capture clots, then clots can be captured and removed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct functional components: a shaft for navigation, a basket structure for clot capture, and a retrieval mechanism for removal. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall functionality, making the complex device more manageable and easier to deploy.
Solution Approach 2:
The basket structure is designed to collapse into a compact configuration that can be nested within the shaft or delivery catheter during insertion. This nesting capability allows the complex basket structure to be delivered through existing vascular access points without requiring large incisions or complex surgical exposure.
3Reliability
If the basket structure is expanded to capture clots, then clot capture effectiveness increases, but navigation through blood vessels becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The basket structure transitions from a compressed state during navigation to an expanded state during clot capture. The basket can be dynamically deployed at the target location using a release mechanism, allowing it to expand only when needed for clot capture, thereby maintaining ease of navigation while achieving reliable clot capture when required.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for removing blood clots and methods of making and using the same. The clot pulling device may include a shaft and one or more strut members that each may include a loop region. The proximal ends of the strut members may be attached to the shaft and the distal ends of the strut members may be coupled to the shaft.