Bifurcated Implant Delivery System Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical device delivery systems face challenges in efficiently deploying bifurcated expandable implants in bifurcated patient lumens, particularly in maintaining the implant in a predetermined position and preventing premature expansion.
Innovation Solution
A bifurcated implant delivery system featuring a shaft with longitudinally extending branches and a reinforcing element to maintain the implant's position, along with an outer sheath and inner sheath that selectively hold the shaft and implant, preventing premature expansion through elastic skirts and open slits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a delivery device is advanced along guidewires to the diseased portion of the patient lumen, then the stent can be deployed at the desired position, but it is difficult to maintain the implant in a predetermined position and prevent premature expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system employs a nested structure where the inner catheter is disposed within the retention sheath, and the bifurcated expandable implant is mounted on the inner catheter. This nested arrangement allows for precise positioning control and prevents premature expansion by keeping the implant constrained within the delivery system until the desired location is reached.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-positioning the catheter branch junction displaced proximally from the sheath branch junction by a distance greater than or equal to the length of the medical device. This preliminary positioning ensures that the implant is held in the correct predetermined position before deployment, preventing premature expansion while maintaining positioning precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple guidewires are used to access different lumen branches, then stent deployment in bifurcated lumens is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system is designed with multi-functionality to handle bifurcated lumen access. The retention sheath with bi-furcated distal portion and the inner catheter with bi-furcated distal portion can accommodate multiple guidewires simultaneously, allowing the same delivery system to deploy stents in both branches of a bifurcated lumen without requiring separate delivery devices for each branch.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery system is segmented into distinct functional components: a shaft with shaft branches, an inner catheter with catheter branches, and a retention sheath with sheath branches. Each component is segmented to correspond with the bifurcated lumen structure, allowing independent access to different lumen branches while maintaining overall system coordination and reducing complexity through modular design.
Data Source
Figure 1~1A
Figure 1B~1C
Figure 1D
AI summary
A bifurcated implant delivery system is provided for deploying a bifurcated expandable implant in a patient lumen. A shaft has at least two shaft proximal openings. A shaft distal end has at least two shaft branches longitudinally extending from a shaft body distal end. Each of the shaft branches has a shaft open tip. The shaft has at least one shaft lumen that longitudinally extends between a respective shaft proximal opening and at least one respective shaft open tip. A reinforcing element longitudinally extends from the shaft body distal end. An outer sheath has an outer sheath proximal opening and at least one outer sheath open tip. An outer sheath lumen longitudinally extends between the outer sheath proximal opening and the at least one outer sheath open tip. The outer sheath lumen is for selectively holding at least a portion of the shaft and a bifurcated expandable implant therein.