Catheter Deflectable Cap for Implant Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable devices without a lumen for guidewire tracking often get caught in vascular tissue or misdirected into branch vessels during delivery, prolonging clinical time due to the need for large catheter profiles and lack of passage for guidewires.
Innovation Solution
A catheter system with a removably mounted cap and an elongate actuator wire that assumes a pre-formed shape to laterally displace the cap from the distal end, allowing for the ejection of medical implants without obstructing the path, using a push rod for deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the catheter open distal end is made large enough to accommodate the profile of the non-collapsible implant, then the implant can be delivered, but the distal end can get caught on vascular tissue or misdirected into branch vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is segmented into distinct functional components: a cap covering the distal end for navigation, a lumen for implant delivery, and an actuator mechanism. The cap can be laterally displaced from the catheter distal end to transition between navigation and deployment modes, resolving the contradiction between large opening size and navigation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed to be dynamically repositionable relative to the catheter distal end. During navigation, the cap covers the distal end to guide the catheter through vasculature. During deployment, the cap is laterally displaced to clear the path for implant ejection, allowing the system to adapt its configuration based on operational phase.
2Ease of operation
If a guidewire passage is provided through the implant device, then guidewire tracking is enabled, but the battery design becomes compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The guidewire tracking function is extracted from the implant device itself and transferred to the catheter system. The catheter lumen provides the guidewire passage, while the implant device maintains its sealed battery structure without through-holes, eliminating the conflict between guidewire tracking and battery integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter acts as an intermediary between the guidewire and the implant device. The guidewire passes through the catheter lumen to reach and guide the implant device, eliminating the need for a through-hole in the implant device while maintaining guidewire tracking capability.
3Productivity
If the catheter distal end remains stationary during implant ejection, then the implant can be pushed out, but the cap obstructs the path between the implant and treatment site
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is designed to dynamically reposition during the implant ejection process. The actuator wire enables lateral displacement of the cap from the catheter distal end, clearing the path for implant ejection while maintaining the catheter's stationary position for efficient implant delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is laterally displaced before implant ejection begins, preliminarily clearing the path for the implant. This preliminary action ensures unobstructed ejection of the implant from the catheter distal end to the treatment site, improving ejection efficiency.
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
Facilitates precise guidance and deployment of medical implants, reducing the risk of catheter entanglement and misdirection, thereby shortening clinical delivery time and improving procedural efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator wire has a distal region that can assume a pre-formed shape when unconstrained by the catheter lumen. The pre-formed shape of the wire distal region defines a bend adapted to laterally displace the cap from the catheter distal end when assuming the pre-formed shape.
Implementation Method 2
The actuator wire has a distal region with a pre-formed shape such as a U-shaped bend; however the distal region is constrained within the catheter lumen to have a substantially straightened shape.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter system for delivery of a medical implant, the system including a cap removably covering an open distal end of a catheter. An elongate actuator wire is fixedly attached to the cap, extends through a lumen of the catheter, and has a distal region that can assume a pre-formed shape when unconstrained by the catheter lumen. The pre-formed shape of the wire distal region defines a bend adapted to laterally deflect the cap from the catheter distal end when assuming the pre-formed shape. At least a portion of the lumen adjacent the catheter distal end is sized and shaped to slidably receive the medical implant alongside the actuator wire. A push rod extends through the catheter lumen for ejecting the medical implant from the catheter distal end. Methods of using the invention are also disclosed.