Braided Occlusion Distal Loop Structure for Flexible 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, allowing for a smaller collapsed cross-section and reduced deformation force, enhancing flexibility and stability while maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the braided mesh stiffness is increased to provide structural support, then device strength is improved, but flexibility deteriorates and manipulation force increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs different braid densities in different regions: a first braid with higher density providing strength at the proximal end, and a second braid with lower density providing flexibility at the distal end. This local differentiation allows each region to optimize its properties for its specific functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The device combines multiple braid structures with different characteristics into a composite construction. The first and second braids are integrated to create a device that exhibits both high strength and high flexibility properties, effectively combining materials with different mechanical properties to resolve the contradiction.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the braided mesh stiffness is increased to maintain device shape, then structural integrity is improved, but ease of delivery through catheter deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different braid densities are applied to different sections of the device to provide localized structural support where needed while maintaining flexibility in delivery-critical regions. The first braid provides structural integrity in regions requiring shape maintenance, while the second braid enables easy delivery through the catheter.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into multiple braid sections with different mechanical properties. This segmentation allows the device to exhibit different behaviors in different regions: rigid where structural integrity is needed and flexible where delivery ease is prioritized, resolving the contradiction between maintaining shape and facilitating delivery.
3Volume of moving object
If the device is designed with a compact collapsed shape, then delivery profile is improved, but adaptation to varying anatomies deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device transitions from a static compact collapsed state to a dynamic expanded state where it can adapt to varying anatomical configurations. The flexible second braid enables the device to dynamically adjust its shape and conform to different anatomical structures once deployed, resolving the contradiction between compact delivery and anatomical adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes its physical parameters (shape, volume, flexibility) between collapsed and expanded states. In the collapsed state, it maintains a small profile for delivery; in the expanded state, it transforms to accommodate and adapt to varying anatomical structures, effectively resolving the contradiction through state-dependent parameter changes.
4Stability of the object's composition
If manipulation force is increased to maintain device rigidity, then device stability is improved, but friction in catheter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first braid with higher density provides device stability and rigidity where structural support is needed, while the second braid with lower density reduces friction in regions where the device contacts the catheter during delivery. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between maintaining stability and minimizing harmful friction.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible second braid acts as a thin, compliant structure that reduces friction during catheter delivery while the first braid provides the necessary structural stability. This combination allows the device to be both stable and low-friction, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
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.