Blood Pump Steering Wires for Aortic Arch Navigation and Flow Direction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ventricular assist devices face challenges in efficiently navigating the aortic arch and maintaining optimal orientation within the left ventricle, leading to suboptimal blood flow and potential tissue damage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an elongation-resistant aramid fiber within a delivery tube that traverses the aortic arch, biasing its orientation to minimize length and guide the blood pump outlet tube to curve away from or towards specific ventricular walls, thereby optimizing blood flow and reducing tissue contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the delivery tube is made flexible to navigate the aortic arch, then ease of operation is improved, but the orientation control and blood flow efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery tube is segmented into different sections with different properties: a flexible section for navigating the aortic arch and a rigid section for maintaining orientation in the left ventricle. This segmentation allows the tube to be both easy to insert and effective at controlling blood flow direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery tube incorporates a pre-formed curve or curvature that matches the anatomy of the aortic arch. This curved geometry allows the tube to naturally follow the aortic arch path during insertion while maintaining proper orientation, eliminating the need for complex manual manipulation.
2Productivity
If the delivery tube is made rigid to maintain orientation, then blood flow efficiency is improved, but ease of navigation through the aortic arch deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery tube is segmented into different sections with different properties: a flexible section for navigating the aortic arch and a rigid section for maintaining orientation in the left ventricle. This segmentation allows the tube to be both easy to insert and effective at controlling blood flow direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery tube transitions from a flexible state during insertion to a rigid state during operation. This dimensional change is achieved through mechanisms such as balloon expansion, self-expanding frames, or shape memory materials that transform the tube's mechanical properties after it navigates the aortic arch.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the pump outlet tube contacts the ventricular wall for stability, then positioning stability is improved, but tissue damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pump outlet tube is covered with a flexible membrane or thin film that allows it to conform to the ventricular wall shape for stable positioning while maintaining a smooth surface that reduces tissue damage risk. The flexible covering acts as a protective interface between the rigid tube structure and the soft tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump outlet tube incorporates curved or rounded geometries that match the natural curvature of the ventricular wall. This curved design allows the tube to nestle into the ventricular cavity for stable positioning without creating sharp edges or angles that could damage the tissue.
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
The solution enhances blood flow efficiency and reduces the risk of tissue damage by ensuring the blood pump outlet tube curves in a manner that minimizes contact with ventricular walls, improving the overall performance of the ventricular assist device.
Implementation Method 1
an elongation-resistant fiber, which is typically an aramid fiber, runs axially along a wall of the delivery tube so as to bias an orientation of the delivery tube
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods are described including a blood pump including an axial shaft configured for insertion into, and rotation within, a body of a subject, and an impeller coupled to the axial shaft such that, as the axial shaft rotates, the impeller pumps blood of the subject. A frame surrounds the impeller. One or more steering wires are coupled to the frame and configured to extend from the frame, to outside the body of the subject, while the frame is within the body. Other applications are also described.