Balloon Catheter Core Wire Shoulder Ridge Pushability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Balloon catheters with increased distal flexibility face challenges in pushability due to their design, making it difficult to navigate through the vasculature effectively.
Innovation Solution
A balloon catheter design featuring a core wire with a shoulder that abuts an interior ridge in the midshaft, enhancing force transfer and pushability, combined with a manufacturing method that includes heating to shape the catheter shaft and mandrel, forming a complementary ridge for efficient force transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the balloon catheter is designed with increased distal flexibility to navigate tortuous anatomy, then the ability to navigate through vasculature is improved, but the pushability of the catheter deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft is designed with varying properties along its length: the distal portion maintains high flexibility for navigating tortuous anatomy, while the proximal portion has increased rigidity for pushability. The midshaft section incorporates a transition zone with specific structural features (ridges, varying wall thickness) that create a gradient in mechanical properties, allowing each section to optimize its local function.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter shaft is divided into distinct segments with different mechanical characteristics: a proximal shaft portion, a midshaft portion, and a distal shaft portion. Each segment can be independently designed and manufactured with specific material compositions and structural features to achieve the desired balance between flexibility and pushability throughout the device.
2Ease of operation
If the catheter shaft is made more rigid to improve pushability, then the ease of operation is improved, but the distal flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the catheter shaft have locally optimized mechanical properties. The proximal section uses stiffer materials or thicker walls to provide pushability, while the distal section uses more flexible materials or thinner walls to enable navigation through tortuous vasculature. The midshaft transition zone gradually changes these properties to avoid abrupt transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft is constructed as multiple segmented portions that can be assembled together. This allows independent optimization of each segment's mechanical properties and enables the combination of rigid proximal sections for pushability with flexible distal sections for navigation, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
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 design improves the pushability of the catheter by efficiently transferring forces along the shaft, allowing for better navigation through tortuous anatomy while maintaining flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
heating the catheter shaft so that a portion of the catheter shaft changes in shape
Data Source
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AI summary
Balloon catheter and methods for making and using balloon catheters are disclosed. An example balloon catheter may include a proximal shaft. A midshaft may be attached to the proximal shaft. A distal shaft may be attached to the midshaft. A balloon may be coupled to the distal shaft. An inflation lumen may be defined that extends from the proximal shaft, through the midshaft, and into the distal shaft. The inflation lumen may be in fluid communication with the balloon. A core wire may extend through a portion of the inflation lumen. The midshaft may define an interior ridge along a portion of the inflation lumen. The core wire may have a shoulder that abuts the interior ridge of the midshaft.