Biodegradable Embolic Agent for Temporary Vessel Occlusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for temporary blood vessel occlusion, such as balloon occlusion devices, require specialized equipment and imaging technologies like fluoroscopy, limiting their use in field or resource-constrained settings, and necessitate permanent implantation with subsequent removal procedures, which are not feasible in all medical environments.
Innovation Solution
A catheter device system that includes a guidewire with communication sensors allowing for location tracking without imaging, paired with a catheter for deploying a biodegradable embolic agent, enabling temporary vessel occlusion without fluoroscopy or x-ray, and allowing for automatic or guided deployment and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fluoroscopy or x-ray imaging is used to guide balloon occlusion device placement, then the procedure can be performed with specialized surgical equipment in controlled environments, but the requirement of specialized imaging equipment restricts performance to fixed operating rooms and imaging suites, making it unavailable in field trauma or emergency settings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/optical imaging system (fluoroscopy/x-ray) with an acoustic field-based system. The guidewire contains acoustic transducers that emit and receive sound waves, allowing real-time location tracking through acoustic signals transmitted through the body tissues, eliminating the need for specialized imaging equipment in field settings
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces acoustic waves as an intermediary medium to enable location sensing. The acoustic transducers on the guidewire interact with acoustic waves to determine position, serving as a mediator between the guidewire and the external receiver, allowing guidance without direct visual imaging
2Reliability
If a permanent balloon occlusion device is implanted to stop bleeding, then continuous occlusion is achieved, but the device must be manually removed by a medical professional in a secondary operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a biodegradable embolic agent that serves as a temporary, self-resolving occlusion mechanism. The agent is designed to perform its function (vessel occlusion) and then naturally degrade and be absorbed by the body, eliminating the need for removal surgery and reducing long-term device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The biodegradable embolic agent is designed to be discarded by the body through natural degradation processes after serving its temporary occlusion function. The body recovers by breaking down the agent materials (such as polysorbate or other biodegradable polymers) and absorbing the components, eliminating the need for manual removal
3Ease of manufacture
If a biodegradable embolic agent is used to occlude the vessel, then the agent degrades and restores blood flow without manual removal, but the deployment requires a catheter system with precise positioning capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical imaging-guided positioning with acoustic field-based localization. The catheter system uses acoustic transducers to sense the guidewire position in real-time, simplifying the positioning mechanism while maintaining precision, and eliminating the need for fluoroscopy equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter system is designed to perform multiple functions: delivering the biodegradable embolic agent, positioning the occlusion site, and monitoring deployment through acoustic feedback. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized equipment and simplifies the overall system
Data Source
AI summary
A temporary vessel occlusion system for controlling major and/or traumatic internal bleeding in patients. The temporary vessel occlusion system has location determining capabilities used to quickly deploy and locate a catheter in a vessel for the delivery of a biodegradable occlusion agent that is able to temporarily stop the bleeding or flow of a fluid out of or within the vessel.