Breakable Catheter Tip for Safe Embolic Fluid Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing safety catheters for endovascular treatments face issues where embolic fluid can envelop the catheter tip, making it difficult to remove without causing arterial lesions or leaving the catheter in place, which can lead to complications such as fluid deposition in unwanted areas or insufficient traction.
Innovation Solution
A safety catheter design featuring a tubular body and endpiece connected by a ring with a breakable connection, allowing for controlled separation by applying torque or traction, and optionally using glue that can be dissolved by the treatment fluid to facilitate easy removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the catheter tip is made detachable to facilitate removal, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because the tip may detach before reaching the injection location
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is designed with a pre-configured breakable connection that remains intact during insertion and injection, then automatically activates for separation only after the embolic fluid has been delivered and initiated the embolization process. This preliminary configuration ensures the connection remains reliable during critical phases while enabling easy removal afterward.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the catheter body and tip undergoes a parameter change from a strong, stable connection during insertion and injection to a weakened, breakable connection after fluid injection. The breakable connection is designed to maintain structural integrity under normal conditions but can be easily separated when specific forces are applied after the embolic fluid has been delivered.
2Ease of operation
If strong traction is applied to remove the catheter, then the ease of operation is improved, but the object-affected harmful factors worsen due to risk of arterial lesions
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is segmented into two parts: a catheter body and a detachable tip. The breakable connection allows the tip to be separated from the body, enabling removal of only the necessary portion while leaving the main body in place, thereby reducing the traction force needed and minimizing the risk of arterial damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The tip portion of the catheter is extracted as a separate component through the breakable connection mechanism. This allows the distal end to be removed independently from the proximal body, reducing the overall length that must be withdrawn and decreasing the tensile load on the arterial wall during removal.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the catheter is left in place to avoid arterial damage, then the object-generated harmful factors are reduced, but the loss of time increases due to prolonged presence of foreign object
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into a permanent body and a temporary tip component. The breakable connection enables selective removal of the tip after injection, allowing the body to remain in place (avoiding arterial damage from strong traction) while still achieving complete removal of the functional component that delivered the embolic fluid.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter tip is designed as a disposable, single-use component that is intentionally left in place or easily removed after serving its injection function. The breakable connection facilitates this disposable approach, where the tip completes its mission and is then discarded or removed, eliminating the need for prolonged retention of the entire catheter system.
4Ease of operation
If a breakable connection is implemented to enable removal, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The breakable connection feature is localized to a specific region of the catheter (the interface between body and tip) rather than affecting the entire device. This localized implementation allows the majority of the catheter structure to remain simple and straightforward, while only the connection zone incorporates the breakable mechanism, thereby minimizing the overall increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables safe and complete removal of the catheter without leaving it in the patient, reducing the risk of arterial damage and ensuring the embolic fluid effectively blocks the targeted vessel.
Implementation Method 1
there is rupture of said connection to obtain the separation of the tubular body and the tubular end
Implementation Method 2
optionally using glue that can be dissolved by the treatment fluid to facilitate easy removal
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to catheters. The inventive catheter is essentially characterised by the fact that it consists of: a tubular body (1) comprising a channel (4), the ends (5, 6) of which open at the respective ends (2, 3) of the tubular body; injection means (10) for injecting fluid into the channel (4); a tubular end piece (20) comprising a channel (23), the ends (24, 25) of which open at the respective ends (21, 22) of the tubular end piece; and means (30) for connecting the end piece (20) and the body (1) such that the end (24) of one channel (23) and the end (6) of the other channel (4) are coaxial (40). The connection means (30) essentially comprise a ring (31) which partially covers the body and the end piece and are arranged such that, by exerting a couple of forces of pre-determined value in relation to the end piece (20) and the body (1), the aforementioned connection is broken. The invention is suitable for safety catheters for endovascular treatments involving the injection of an embolic liquid, for example for the treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVM).