Bronchoscopic Collateral Channels for Lung Decompression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) such as bronchodilator drugs and lung reduction surgery are ineffective in addressing the issue of hyperinflated lungs and impaired gas exchange, particularly in cases where the entire lung is emphysematous, and lack a reliable method to capitalize on increased collateral ventilation.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for selecting and creating extra-anatomic passages in the lung to facilitate the escape of trapped air and improve oxygen exchange, involving the assessment of anatomic characteristics and disease severity to determine optimal sites for creating collateral channels, which can be used with real-time or virtual mapping systems to guide surgical procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lung reduction surgery is performed to address hyperinflated lungs, then lung volume is reduced and gas exchange is improved, but the procedure is highly invasive with extended recovery period and surgical complications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bronchoscope as an intermediary tool to access the lung airways through the natural respiratory tract, avoiding external surgical incisions. This mediator enables the creation of collateral channels (extra-anatomic passages) within the lung tissue through the airway lumen, transforming the treatment from highly invasive open surgery to a less invasive endoscopic procedure while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness for hyperinflated lungs
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of open surgical lung reduction with a bronchoscopic intervention system. Instead of making external incisions and performing mechanical lung resection, the system uses a bronchoscope with integrated tools (cutting devices, lasers, or electrocautery) to create controlled openings in the airway wall and form collateral channels, substituting complex external mechanical surgery with a more precise, minimally invasive endoscopic mechanical system
2Ease of operation
If bronchodilator drugs are used to treat COPD, then airway obstruction is reduced temporarily, but the treatment does not address hyperinflated lungs and requires repeated application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by using bronchodilator drugs to temporarily reduce airway obstruction and improve airway caliber before performing the bronchoscopic creation of collateral channels. This preliminary pharmacological intervention facilitates easier navigation of the bronchoscope through constricted airways and prepares the lung tissue for the subsequent structural modification, combining temporary medical management with definitive procedural treatment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of lung structure by creating permanent extra-anatomic passages (collateral channels) that bypass obstructed airways, rather than merely changing airway tone temporarily with drugs. This structural parameter change provides lasting relief from hyperinflation and improves gas exchange efficiency, transforming the treatment from transient pharmacological effect to permanent anatomical modification
3Reliability
If multiple treatment sites are assessed and scored to select optimal sites for collateral channels, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but procedure time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing comprehensive assessment and scoring of multiple potential treatment sites using imaging (CT scans) and computational algorithms before the actual bronchoscopic procedure. This pre-procedural planning identifies optimal sites based on disease severity, anatomy, and expected efficacy, allowing the surgeon to proceed directly to the predetermined optimal site during the procedure without time-consuming intraoperative evaluation, thus resolving the contradiction between accurate site selection and procedure time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions the site selection process from a two-dimensional visual assessment during bronchoscopy to a three-dimensional computational analysis of CT scan data, incorporating multiple parameters (disease severity, airway caliber, tissue density, anatomical constraints) in a virtual environment. This dimensional transformation enables comprehensive evaluation of multiple sites in advance, providing a detailed roadmap that guides the actual procedure and minimizes intraoperative decision-making time
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to systems and methods for site selection and placement of extra-anatomic passages altering gaseous flow in a diseased lung.