Branched Stent Graft Structure for Precise Aortic Arch Deployment
Solution Overview
Problem
Disease of the vasculature, particularly in the aortic arch and its branch vessels, is difficult to treat due to their tortuous nature and complexity, making it challenging for medical practitioners to access and effectively deploy treatment devices.
Innovation Solution
A branched stent graft device with a main body and branch members, featuring recessed openings and support walls, is deployed using guidewires and sleeves to facilitate precise positioning and expansion, allowing treatment of both main vessels and branch vessels simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional stent graft devices are used to treat aortic arch and branch vessels, then the treatment can be performed with simpler device structure, but the access to tortuous vasculature is difficult and deployment precision is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into a main body portion for deployment in the aorta and multiple branch portions extending from the main body, each capable of selective deployment into branch vessels. This segmentation allows precise positioning in complex vasculature while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The branch portions are configured to be selectively deployable from the main body portion, with each branch portion initially contained within or attached to the main body and then deployable into the corresponding branch vessel. This nesting approach enables precise deployment sequencing while avoiding the need for completely separate delivery systems.
2Ease of operation
If complex branched vasculature is accessed using conventional methods, then the device structure remains simple, but the ease of operation and access to branch vessels deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates selective deployability where branch portions can be deployed independently and in sequence from the main body portion. This dynamic deployment capability allows operators to access and treat different branch vessels as needed, improving ease of operation in complex anatomies without requiring a completely complex fixed structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the device have different functional properties - the main body portion is designed for aortic deployment while branch portions are designed for specific branch vessel access. This local differentiation of function improves ease of operation by matching device characteristics to specific anatomical requirements without uniformly increasing overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple branch vessels are treated simultaneously, then treatment efficacy is improved, but the device complexity and procedural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple branch portions are integrated into a single device system with a common main body portion, allowing simultaneous or sequential treatment of multiple branch vessels from one deployment action. This merging approach improves treatment efficacy by enabling comprehensive coverage while reducing procedural complexity compared to using separate devices for each branch.
Solution Approach 2:
The main body portion serves multiple functions - providing structural support in the aorta and serving as the deployment platform for multiple branch portions. This multi-functionality allows simultaneous treatment of multiple branch vessels without requiring separate delivery systems for each, thereby improving treatment efficacy while managing device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for treating disease along a main vessel and at least one branch vessel extending from the main vessel includes a branch member for deployment in the branch vessel, the branch member having a branch lumen; and a main body for deployment in the main vessel. The main body has a generally tubular wall extending generally longitudinally between opposite first and second ends. The wall has an internal surface defining a main lumen and an opposite outer surface. The wall has a recessed portion that is recessed relative to the outer surface of the wall and positioned between the first and second ends of the main body. The main body has an opening formed in the recessed portion of the wall for receiving the branch member therethrough such that the branch lumen is in fluid communication with the main lumen.