Catheter Centering Device Mitigates Arterial Insufficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Catheters accessing the vasculature can cause arterial insufficiency due to reduced cross-sectional vessel area, affecting blood flow, and the presence of side apertures can prevent fluid locking, leading to thrombosis and infection risks.
Innovation Solution
A centering device with an expandable wire mechanism that transitions between retracted and extended configurations to maintain the catheter tip in a central position, preventing contact with the vessel wall and allowing fluid flow by distending the vessel wall, thereby mitigating arterial insufficiency and facilitating fluid locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a catheter is used to access vasculature for fluid aspiration, then fluid removal capability is improved, but arterial insufficiency occurs due to reduced cross-sectional vessel area
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple functional segments: a distal tip portion for fluid aspiration,侧 apertures for additional fluid access, and a centering device with expandable portion for vessel wall management. This segmentation allows each portion to perform its specific function while collectively resolving the arterial insufficiency problem by maintaining patent vessel architecture alongside effective fluid removal
Solution Approach 2:
The centering device with its expandable portion acts as an intermediary element between the catheter and the vessel wall. It maintains a spaced-apart relationship that prevents direct contact between the catheter and vessel wall, thereby preventing compression of the vessel lumen and ensuring adequate blood flow pathways remain open while fluid aspiration continues
2Productivity
If side apertures are added to the catheter to provide additional fluid flow, then fluid aspiration capability is improved, but fluid locking is prevented leading to thrombosis risk
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter design incorporates side apertures positioned to receive fluid proactively before it can stagnate in the distal portion. This preliminary fluid intake action prevents the formation of stagnant fluid columns that would otherwise create conditions favorable for thrombosis and biofilm formation, addressing the reliability concern while maintaining high fluid flow capability
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the catheter are designed with different functional qualities: the distal tip has a specific aperture configuration for primary fluid access, while侧 apertures provide additional fluid intake zones. This local differentiation ensures that fluid flow is maintained across multiple zones, preventing stagnation in any single area and thereby reducing thrombosis risk while preserving overall fluid aspiration effectiveness
3Productivity
If the catheter tip is positioned close to the vessel wall for effective fluid access, then fluid aspiration efficiency is improved, but vessel compression occurs reducing blood flow
Solution Approach 1:
The centering device serves as an intermediary structure that positions the catheter tip in optimal proximity to the vessel wall for fluid access while simultaneously preventing direct contact. The expandable portion of the centering device maintains a spaced-apart relationship that preserves sufficient vessel cross-sectional area for blood flow while allowing the catheter tip to remain effectively positioned for fluid aspiration
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a centering device is added to maintain catheter positioning, then arterial insufficiency is mitigated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The centering device is nested within the catheter structure, with the expandable portion positioned inside the catheter body and the wire extending along the outer surface. This nested configuration allows the centering function to be integrated into the existing catheter architecture rather than requiring completely separate components, thereby mitigating arterial insufficiency while limiting the increase in overall device complexity
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 centering device effectively maintains the catheter tip in a central position, reducing fluid resistance and preventing thrombosis by ensuring a spaced relationship with the vessel wall, thus enhancing blood flow and preventing biofilm formation.
Implementation Method 1
the wire includes one of a shape memory material or nitinol
Implementation Method 2
the expandable portion is elastically deformable from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of medical device centering systems and associated methods thereof are described herein and include an elongate medical device, such as a catheter, and a centering device configured to transition between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration. In the extended configuration the centering device can be configured to prevent a distal tip of the catheter from contacting a wall of the vessel. The centering device can provide a spaced apart relationship, or center the tip within the vessel. In an embodiment, the centering device can distend the vessel to provide a fluid pathway between the catheter tip and the vessel wall. Embodiments described herein can mitigate arterial insufficiency while allowing a catheter to be fluid locked along an entire length of the lumen.