External Carotid Compression for Stroke Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current anti-embolic devices for preventing cerebral emboli during cardiovascular surgery are invasive, complex, and ineffective in capturing smaller embolic particles, leading to a high risk of trauma and incomplete protection against stroke.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive, pressurized compression device that externally compresses the carotid arteries using expandable members to divert emboli away from cerebral circulation, preventing them from entering the brain and reducing the risk of stroke during emboligenic interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intravascular filters are used to capture emboli, then embolic protection is improved, but device complexity and invasiveness increase, and trauma to the vessel wall occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing a filter inside the carotid artery to capture emboli, the invention applies external compression to the carotid artery using a cuff positioned at the base of the neck. This reverses the approach from internal filtration to external occlusion, preventing emboli from entering the cerebral circulation in the first place rather than filtering them after they enter the artery.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the anti-embolic function from the intravascular space and relocates it to the extravascular space. By applying compression externally to the carotid artery, the device removes the need for intravascular filters and their associated complexities, while achieving the same protective effect through a different anatomical location.
2Device complexity
If intravascular filters with larger pore sizes are used, then device simplicity is improved, but smaller embolic particles smaller than the pore size pass through resulting in incomplete protection
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the protective mechanism from filtration (allowing some particles through) to complete occlusion (blocking all particles). By applying external compression to occlude the carotid artery entirely, the device protects against all embolic particles regardless of size without requiring complex filtration systems with multiple pore sizes.
3Ease of operation
If guide wire insertion is performed to place filters, then filter placement is achieved, but approximately 40,000 microemboli are generated during the placement procedure itself
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies preliminary compression to the carotid artery before any emboligenic procedures are performed. By establishing the protective compression state in advance, the device prevents emboli from entering the cerebral circulation during guide wire insertion and other procedures, rather than attempting to place filters after emboli have already been generated.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the protective function from the intravascular procedure sequence and establishes it externally before any invasive procedures. This removes the need for guide wire insertion and filter placement entirely, eliminating the source of microemboli generation associated with these procedures.
4Reliability
If aortic cannula insertion is used to place intra-aortic filters, then embolic capture is improved, but major trauma to aortic wall and acute aortic dissection occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the anti-embolic protection function from the aortic system and relocates it to the carotid artery system. By applying external compression to the carotid artery at the base of the neck, the device achieves embolic protection without requiring aortic cannulation or intra-aortic filter placement, thereby eliminating trauma to the aortic wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention inverts the approach from placing filters within the aorta to applying external compression to the carotid artery. This reversal avoids all invasive procedures in the aortic system while achieving the same protective effect by preventing emboli from entering the carotid circulation in the first place.
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 device effectively prevents cerebral emboli by creating a temporary 'no-flow' condition in the carotid arteries, diverting emboli into the descending aorta, thereby reducing the risk of stroke and minimizing trauma to the carotid artery wall, even for smaller particles that traditional filters cannot capture.
Implementation Method 1
A non-invasive, pressurized compression device that externally compresses the carotid arteries using expandable members to divert emboli away from cerebral circulation
Data Source
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AI summary
A device for use in preventing stroke is provided. The device may include an expandable member that expands from a non-expanded configuration to an expanded configuration. The expandable member is located at a neck of a patient. An associated method is provided.