Catheter Diffuser Resists Omental Blockage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Catheters face challenges in maintaining flow efficiency due to blockage by bodily tissues such as the omentum, particularly in applications like peritoneal dialysis, where high flow rates and long effective use periods are necessary but often hindered by tissue interference.
Innovation Solution
A catheter design featuring a flexible, disc-shaped diffuser with radially constrained and deployable configurations, oriented perpendicular to the catheter's longitudinal axis, which expands to resist blockage and facilitate flow, incorporating support structures and materials like silicone to manage hydraulic resistance and tissue ingrowth for anchoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a traditional catheter design is used, then the device is simple to manufacture and insert, but flow rates are limited due to tissue blockage by the omentum
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates a flexible diffuser that can dynamically change its configuration from a constrained delivery state to an expanded deployed state. This dynamic transformation allows the diffuser to resist tissue blockage during use while maintaining a compact profile for insertion, thereby achieving high flow rates without permanently increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser is designed to expand radially outward from the catheter body in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. This dimensional change from a linear constrained state to a radial expanded state creates a larger flow distribution area that resists omental blockage, improving flow rate while the constrained configuration maintains manufacturing simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If the catheter remains in a constrained configuration for insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but flow efficiency deteriorates due to increased hydraulic resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system transitions from a static design to a dynamic one where the diffuser can change its configuration. During insertion, the diffuser remains constrained for ease of operation; once positioned, it expands to reduce hydraulic resistance and improve flow efficiency. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and flow efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is pre-configured in a constrained state for easy insertion, and then transformed into an expanded state for optimal flow performance. This preliminary constrained configuration allows straightforward insertion, after which the diffuser is deployed to achieve the desired flow efficiency, separating the insertion phase from the flow performance phase.
3Productivity
If the diffuser is made rigid to resist blockage, then flow efficiency is improved, but the ability to pass through delivery lumens deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The diffuser employs flexible materials that allow it to be dynamically constrained during delivery and expanded during use. This flexibility enables the diffuser to pass through narrow delivery lumens in a compressed state while maintaining the ability to expand to a rigid-like configuration for resisting tissue blockage and improving flow efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser is constructed from flexible materials that can be constrained to a low-profile configuration for delivery through narrow lumens. Once deployed, these flexible materials allow the diffuser to expand into a configuration that resists tissue blockage, thus achieving flow efficiency without compromising deliverability.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If the catheter is designed for long-term implantation, then duration of action is improved, but risk of tissue occlusion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable diffuser maintains a larger effective area for fluid distribution during long-term implantation, which reduces the likelihood of tissue occlusion. The dynamic expanded configuration resists omental blockage more effectively than a constrained design, thereby extending the effective use period by preventing tissue occlusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser is pre-configured to expand into a configuration that proactively resists tissue blockage. By being deployed in an expanded state that distributes flow over a larger area, the catheter prevents tissue occlusion before it can occur, thereby extending the effective use period for long-term implantation.
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 catheter achieves high flow rates of up to 100-200 ml/min with reduced hydraulic resistance, maintaining effective use for extended periods by minimizing tissue occlusion and ensuring stable anchoring within the body.
Implementation Method 1
the diffuser may be flexible, including embodiments wherein the diffuser is configured to be disposable in a radially constrained delivery configuration and a radially expanded deployed configuration
Implementation Method 2
The catheter achieves high flow rates of up to 100-200 ml/min with reduced hydraulic resistance
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter configured with an elongate tube and a diffuser is disclosed. The diffuser may be configured to facilitate high flow rates through the catheter and to resist blockage of openings disposed within the body. Further, the catheter may be comprised of flexible materials to facilitate delivery into and removal from the body. In some embodiments the diffuser may be generally disc shaped.