Branched Stent with Integral Bifurcations Preventing Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Branched stents tend to fold easily, especially in curved blood vessels, making it difficult to insert guide wires and maintain their position due to reduced diameter and structural instability.
Innovation Solution
A stent design featuring a main body with integral bifurcations formed by weaving zigzag cells, reinforced with grid patterns and zigzag structures, which are connected as a single wire to the main body, preventing folding and improving manufacturing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the branched stent is designed with reduced diameter at the branched portion to fit curved blood vessels, then the stent can adapt to curved passages, but the branched portion becomes more prone to folding and structural instability
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is divided into distinct segments: a main body portion and separate bifurcation portions. Each segment can be independently designed and manufactured, allowing the main body to maintain its structural integrity while the bifurcation portions are optimized for adaptability to curved vessels. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling different parts to have different structural characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The bifurcation portions are designed with local quality enhancements, including increased cell density and reinforced structures at critical points. This localized reinforcement provides the necessary structural stability to prevent folding while maintaining the reduced diameter needed for adaptability to curved blood vessels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the branched stent has a reduced diameter at the branched portion, then it can pass through curved blood vessels, but guide wire insertion becomes difficult and the stent departs from its original position
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is pre-formed with a specific configuration where the bifurcation portions are integrally connected to the main body, creating a stable structure before insertion. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that once the stent is positioned, it maintains its shape and position, facilitating subsequent guide wire insertion and preventing departure from the original position.
Solution Approach 2:
The bifurcation portions are merged with the main body as an integral structure rather than separate components. This merging creates a unified structure that maintains its shape and position stability, making guide wire insertion easier and preventing the stent from departing from its original position while still allowing passage through curved vessels.
3Productivity
If the branched stent is inserted multiple times with guide wires, then treatment can be performed, but the stent becomes more prone to folding and losing its position
Solution Approach 1:
The stent design incorporates curved structures that match the natural curvature of blood vessels. The bifurcation portions are designed with appropriate curvature radii that allow the stent to conform to curved vessel paths without creating stress concentration points that would cause folding during repeated guide wire insertions, thereby maintaining reliability while enabling multiple treatment procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A stent (1) of the present invention comprises: a main body (2) formed in a hollow tube shape; and a first bifurcation (3) and a second bifurcation (4) which are formed by extending from the end portion of the main body (2) in the lengthwise direction of the main body (2). The stent (1) comprises an artificial blood vessel (5) consisting of a main blood vessel (51), and a first branch blood vessel (52) and a second branch blood vessel (53) branched from the main blood vessel (51). The main body (2) is arranged to surround the main blood vessel (51), the first bifurcation (3) is arranged to surround part of the first branch blood vessel (52), and the second bifurcation (4) is arranged to surround part of the second branch blood vessel (53). The stent (1) includes a plurality of cells (10) which are formed by weaving one wire in zigzags, and the cells (10) each include an end cell (20) formed at the end portion of the main body (2). In addition, the first bifurcation (3) and the second bifurcation (4) are formed at the lower end of the end cell (20) as one wire integrally with the main body (2).