Braided Occlusion Device with Curved Loop Strands for Catheter Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing braided medical devices face issues with insufficient flexibility, requiring high manipulation forces, difficulty in delivery through catheters, and inadequate adaptation to varying anatomies, leading to potential injuries and embolies.
Innovation Solution
A braided medical device with loop strands having curved shapes extending away from a center point, displaced by a center distance, reducing the cross-section in the collapsed state and maintaining stability, allowing for easier delivery and secure attachment in the body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the braided mesh stiffness is increased to maintain structural rigidity, then the device stability is improved, but the flexibility and ease of delivery through catheters deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into multiple independent loop strands that can flex and deform independently. Each loop strand acts as a separate element that can bend without requiring the entire braided structure to deform, enabling flexibility while maintaining overall structural integrity through the collective arrangement of segments
Solution Approach 2:
The loop strands are designed with curved geometries rather than straight configurations. The curved shape allows the strands to flex and adapt to anatomical variations while maintaining structural rigidity when deployed, resolving the contradiction between flexibility for delivery and stability when in place
2Strength
If the braided mesh is made stiffer to maintain structural rigidity, then the device can maintain its shape, but the force required to manipulate and collapse the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The loop strands are designed to dynamically change their mechanical properties based on the applied force. When minimal force is applied during delivery, the strands remain flexible and can be easily manipulated. When deployed and subjected to physiological forces, the strands maintain their structural rigidity to preserve device shape and function
3Ease of operation
If the device is made more flexible to ease delivery, then the ease of operation improves, but the structural rigidity and occlusion effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the device have different mechanical properties optimized for their specific functions. The loop strands are designed with local variations in geometry and material properties that provide flexibility at the delivery stage while ensuring structural rigidity at the deployment site for effective occlusion
4Ease of manufacture
If the device structure is simplified for easier manufacturing, then the manufacturing precision may be compromised, but the ease of manufacture improves
Solution Approach 1:
The loop strand structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the braided pattern for structural integrity, creates the necessary flexibility through its geometry, and defines the device shape without requiring additional components. This multi-functionality simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining the precision needed for effective device performance
Data Source
AI summary
An medical implantable occlusion device (100) is disclosed having a collapsed state and an expanded state and comprising a braiding (101) of at least one thread, and a distal end (102) comprised of said braiding. The distal end comprises loops (103, 104, 204, 304) formed by loop strands (105, 106, 206, 306) of the at least one thread, wherein, at least in said expanded state, each loop strand has a curved shape and extends away from a centre point (117) of the distal end, whereby an apex point (107, 108, 208, 308) of each of the loop strands corresponds to the turning point of the curved shape and to the point of each of the loop strands being arranged closest to the centre point. At least one of the loop strands is displaced from the centre point by a centre distance (109, 110, 210, 310), and the apex point lie at a distance from a periphery (113) of the distal end.