Bronchial Isolation Device Sizing Catheter

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for delivering bronchial isolation devices to treat lung diseases like emphysema are invasive and lack efficient sizing mechanisms, leading to potential misfitting of devices and increased procedural complexity.

Innovation Solution

A device with a sizing element on its distal end to determine the lung passageway diameter, ensuring the appropriate bronchial isolation device is selected and accurately implanted, utilizing a delivery catheter with a housing to deploy the device within the bronchial passageway.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional surgical approaches (lung reduction surgery) are used to treat emphysema, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but patient trauma and invasiveness increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetreatment effectivenessVSAvoidpatient trauma

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces conventional surgical mechanical approaches (lung reduction surgery requiring incisions and tissue removal) with a minimally invasive delivery system that uses a catheter inserted through natural body openings (mouth or nose) to deliver bronchial isolation devices. This substitution eliminates the need for traumatic surgical intervention while maintaining treatment effectiveness through mechanical device deployment in the bronchial passageway.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of operation

If bronchial isolation devices are implanted without proper sizing, then device implantation is simplified, but device misfitting and procedural complications increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice implantation simplicityVSAvoiddevice fit accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates a sizing element on the delivery catheter that allows the practitioner to measure the inside diameter of the lung passageway before delivering the bronchial isolation device. This preliminary sizing action ensures the correct device size is selected and implanted, preventing misfitting and complications while maintaining procedural simplicity through integrated sizing functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If a separate sizing device is used before device delivery, then sizing precision is improved, but procedural complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelung passageway sizing accuracyVSAvoidprocedural steps

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the sizing function and device delivery function into a single integrated delivery catheter system. The sizing element is incorporated directly onto the delivery catheter, allowing both sizing and device delivery to be performed in one continuous procedure without requiring separate sizing devices or additional procedural steps. This integration maintains measurement precision while reducing overall procedural complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS7814912B2Delivery methods and devices for implantable bronchial isolation devices

Publication Date: 2010.10.19 PULMONX CORP

AI summary

Disclosed is a sizing device for sizing an inside diameter of a lung passageway. The device includes an elongate shaft configured for positioning in the lung passageway and a sizing element at the distal end of the shaft. The sizing element defines a range of transverse dimensions that correspond to a range of transverse dimensions suitable for use with a predetermined set of bronchial isolation devices. The device is used to determine the suitability of a bronchial isolation device for use in the lung passageway prior to using a separate delivery catheter to deliver the bronchial isolation device into the lung passageway.