Braided Catheter Control Line for Lesion Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catheter systems face challenges in effectively manipulating and deploying medical devices within bodily cavities, particularly in creating accurate lesions for treating atrial fibrillation, due to limited manipulation capabilities and increased risk of mechanical failures and coagulum formation.
Innovation Solution
A catheter system with a braided line structure and actuator mechanism that allows for enhanced deployment and activation of transducers within bodily cavities, using flexible members and layers to distinguish between tissue and blood, and deliver positional information relative to anatomical features, enabling precise lesion formation and tissue stimulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional catheter systems are used for intravascular delivery, then access to inner organs is gained via catheter, but the complexity of device structure significantly increases and manipulation capabilities are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is divided into distinct functional modules: a delivery catheter for intravascular access, a deployment mechanism with actuators, and the transducer array with control lines. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while reducing overall system complexity during manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
Control lines are introduced as intermediary elements that transmit mechanical forces from external actuators to the transducers deep within the body. This intermediary mechanism enables precise manipulation of transducers without requiring complex direct control systems at the catheter tip.
2Manufacturing precision
If transducers are deployed within bodily cavities, then lesion formation capability is improved, but the risk of mechanical failures and coagulum formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates redundant control lines and backup mechanical structures that are pre-positioned to compensate for potential failures. The braided construction of control lines provides structural reinforcement that prevents catastrophic failure under mechanical stress within the bodily cavity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control lines undergo controlled parameter changes through braiding density variations and material composition adjustments along their length. This allows the lines to maintain flexibility for navigation while providing sufficient structural integrity to prevent mechanical failure during transducer deployment and operation.
3Productivity
If multiple transducers are used for mapping and ablation, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but the complexity of device structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each transducer in the array is designed with multi-functionality, capable of performing mapping, ablation, and sensing operations. This universal design reduces the need for separate specialized devices while maintaining treatment effectiveness through a single integrated catheter system.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple transducers are nested within the catheter structure in a compact arrangement, with control lines for each transducer routed through shared lumens. This nesting approach allows multiple functional elements to coexist within the constrained space of a single catheter without proportionally increasing external complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device system may include a structure including a first elongate member, a line including a plurality of flexible members, and an actuator coupled to the line to selectively transmit force to at least the first elongate member. The structure may include a delivery configuration in which at least a portion of the structure is arranged to be percutaneously delivered to a bodily cavity. Respective portions of the flexible members may be intertwined together to form a braided portion of the line, and the line may include an unbraided portion secured at least to the first elongate member. The braided portion of the line may be located between the actuator and the first elongate member.