Catheter Navigation with Expandable Cage and Cartesian Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current catheter navigation systems for delivering therapeutic devices to body cavities are non-intuitive and difficult to use, requiring a lengthy learning curve and often failing to achieve precise positioning due to complex anatomy.
Innovation Solution
A catheter system with an expandable cage and pairs of wires allowing for Cartesian or semi-Cartesian movement, providing a stable frame of reference and counterforce, enabling more intuitive and precise navigation within body cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems are used for catheter navigation, then the catheter can be manually manipulated with three degrees of freedom, but the navigation becomes non-intuitive and requires a lengthy learning curve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by using a cartesian coordinate system (x, y, z) instead of cylindrical or spherical coordinates. The hub can move independently along each axis, allowing the operator to control the distal end's position directly in three-dimensional space rather than through complex rotational and radial manipulations. This inversion of the control paradigm makes navigation intuitive and eliminates the lengthy learning curve associated with traditional systems.
2Measurement precision
If manual manipulation of catheter tip is performed through hybrid coordinate system, then three degrees of freedom are achieved, but accurate positioning of the tip becomes very difficult even for highly trained physicians
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the catheter navigation system into independent linear actuators for each axis (x, y, z). Each actuator controls movement along one specific direction, allowing precise positioning of the hub and consequently the distal end. This segmentation eliminates the coupled movements inherent in cylindrical or spherical systems, where adjusting one parameter affects others, thereby enabling accurate positioning even for complex anatomical targets.
3Stability of the object's composition
If an expandable cage is deployed to engage the body cavity wall, then a stable frame of reference and counterforce are provided, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable cage is deployed in advance to engage the body cavity wall before positioning procedures begin. This preliminary action establishes a stable frame of reference and provides necessary counterforce for precise manipulations. By preparing the support structure beforehand, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time stabilization mechanisms during positioning, actually simplifying the overall control system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
Systems and methods for directing a device to a target region within a body cavity are provided. One embodiment includes a first catheter having a handle, an expandable cage, and a lumen therethrough, the expandable cage having a plurality of members that expand to engage a wall of the body cavity, a second catheter within the first catheter lumen having a hub at a distal end, and a plurality of pairs of wires secured at a first end within the handle of the first catheter and secured at a second end to the hub of the second catheter, each pair of wires being movable in conjunction with each other by manipulation of the handle so as to move the hub, a first pair of wires movable to move the hub in a first direction and a second pair of wires movable to move the hub in a second direction.