Catheter Polymer Transitions for Stable Tortuous-Anatomy Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catheters face challenges in navigating tortuous anatomy due to abrupt transitions in structural properties, leading to torque instability, poor navigation, and mechanical discontinuities, as they compromise between stiffness and flexibility, compromising performance.
Innovation Solution
The catheters are designed with customizable polymeric tubing that allows for gradual or customized transition regions, incorporating multiple material sections with varying structural properties, such as durometer, torque control, flexibility, and axial strength, to optimize performance across different anatomical regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter uses abrupt transitions between different polymer durometers to provide varying structural characteristics, then the catheter can navigate tortuous anatomy, but torque control and navigation performance deteriorate due to mechanical discontinuities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from abrupt durometer transitions to gradual transitions. The polymer durometer is changed progressively over a transition region rather than abruptly, allowing the catheter to adapt to tortuous anatomy while maintaining torque control stability. This gradual parameter change eliminates mechanical discontinuities that would otherwise cause torque instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining multiple polymer sections with different durometers in a single catheter construction. Different polymer materials are joined together with gradual transition regions, creating a composite structure that provides varying structural characteristics along the catheter length while maintaining mechanical continuity for stable torque transmission.
2Strength
If the catheter uses higher durometer polymer in the proximal end for stiffness and manipulation, then the catheter can be pushed and manipulated effectively, but flexibility at the distal end deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the catheter into distinct sections with different durometer characteristics. The proximal end uses higher durometer polymer for stiffness and manipulation, while the distal end uses lower durometer polymer for flexibility. Transition regions connect these segments, allowing each section to optimize its mechanical properties for its specific functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by assigning different durometer properties to different regions of the catheter. The proximal end has higher durometer for manipulation strength, while the distal end has lower durometer for flexibility. This spatial variation in material properties allows each local region to have the optimal mechanical characteristics for its specific function.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter uses multiple adjacently placed polymer jackets with different durometers, then varying structural characteristics are achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple polymer jackets with different durometers into a single integrated catheter construction. The different polymer sections are joined together with gradual transition regions, combining the benefits of multiple materials while simplifying the overall construction compared to separate modular components. This merged structure achieves varying structural characteristics through a unified design.
Data Source
AI summary
Polymeric tubing, for use with catheters or other medical devices, where the polymeric tubing can have regions of customized properties including, but not limited to, durometer, torque control, flexibility, axial strength, stiffness, etc. One variation of the device allows for transitions between regions to be configured such that there can be gradual or customized transitions between various regions such that the structural characteristics differential between the regions are selectively designed. Additional variations include outer layers having a plurality of material sections extending in a spiral direction along the axial length to form a continuous wall of the outer layer. In certain variations, the structural characteristic differential is minimized or eliminated as compared to conventional catheters.