Bronchoscopic Braided Valve for Air Blocking and Mucus Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lung volume reduction surgeries for emphysema are invasive and carry high morbidity, while less invasive procedures face challenges in effectively restricting air flow to diseased lung portions while allowing mucus expulsion.
Innovation Solution
A one-way valve with a braided tubular structure, constricted at one end or in the middle, covered with a non-porous coating, allowing air to be prevented from entering the diseased lung portions during inhalation while permitting mucus and residual air to exit during exhalation, utilizing shape memory materials for deployment and anchoring within the bronchial passages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If lung volume reduction surgery is performed to remove diseased lung portions, then pulmonary function and breathing capacity are improved, but surgical invasiveness and associated morbidity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the flow restriction function from major surgical intervention and implements it through a minimally invasive valve device deployed via bronchoscope, removing only the necessary occlusion function while preserving healthy lung tissue and avoiding extensive surgery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a flow control valve as an intermediary device that mediates between the bronchial passage and diseased lung portions, controlling air flow restriction without requiring direct surgical removal of lung tissue, thus reducing surgical invasiveness while maintaining pulmonary function improvement
2Reliability
If air flow is restricted to diseased lung portions to prevent further damage, then lung volume reduction is achieved, but mucus expulsion becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic valve mechanism that responds to pressure differential changes during the respiratory cycle, automatically opening during exhalation to permit mucus expulsion and closing during inhalation to restrict air flow into diseased portions, thus resolving the contradiction between lung volume reduction and mucus clearance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes periodic pressure changes associated with normal breathing to drive the valve's opening and closing cycles, allowing mucus expulsion during the exhalation phase while maintaining air flow restriction during inhalation, thereby achieving both lung volume reduction and facilitated mucus clearance
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a valve device is deployed via bronchoscope to restrict air flow, then surgical invasiveness is reduced, but effective anchoring and positioning within bronchial passages becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates radiopaque materials into the valve structure that appear under fluoroscopic imaging, enabling real-time visualization and precise positioning of the valve within the bronchial passages during deployment, thus overcoming the positioning challenge while maintaining minimally invasive access
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs self-expanding or self-anchoring mechanisms that automatically engage with the bronchial wall upon deployment, allowing the valve to secure itself without requiring complex external anchoring procedures, thereby simplifying the deployment process while ensuring accurate positioning
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
The valve effectively reduces air flow to diseased lung areas, improving breathing by preventing air entry during inhalation and allowing mucus clearance during exhalation, thus alleviating symptoms of emphysema with reduced surgical invasiveness and complications.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing shape memory materials for deployment and anchoring within the bronchial passages
Data Source
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AI summary
A valve to perform lung volume reduction procedures is described. The valve is formed of a braided structure that is adapted for endoscopic insertion in a bronchial passage of a patient's lung. The braided structure has a proximal end and a distal end and is covered with a non porous coating adapted to prevent flow of air into the lung. A constricted portion of the braided structure is used to prevent flow of air through a central lumen of the structure, and to define at least one funnel shaped portion. The funnel shaped portion blocks the flow of air towards the constriction, i.e. towards the core of the lung. At least one hole is formed in the braided structure to permit flow of mucus from the distal end to the proximal end, to be expelled out of the lungs.