Catheter Tip With Helical Elastic Coupling For Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical probes, such as catheters, face challenges in ensuring optimal contact with heart tissue during procedures like intracardiac RF ablation, as excessive pressure can cause tissue damage and perforation, while inadequate contact may hinder therapeutic effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A medical probe design featuring a flexible insertion tube with a distal tip coupled to a tubular piece of elastic material having multiple intertwined helical cuts, allowing for controlled bending and pressure measurement, which facilitates uniform contact and pressure distribution, and includes a position sensor to monitor the distal tip's position relative to the insertion tube.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the distal tip of the catheter engages the endocardium with sufficient pressure to ensure good contact, then the therapeutic effect is improved, but excessive pressure may cause undesired damage to the heart tissue and even perforation of the heart wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a force sensor at the distal tip of the catheter that provides real-time feedback on the contact force between the electrode and endocardium. This feedback mechanism allows the system to monitor and adjust the applied pressure to maintain therapeutic effectiveness while preventing tissue damage through excessive force.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical pressure control with a sensor-based detection system. Instead of relying solely on mechanical means to control contact pressure, the invention uses a force sensor to detect contact force and provides signals to a processing system that can adjust the therapeutic parameters or alert the operator.
2Measurement precision
If a force sensor is integrated at the distal tip to measure contact force, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the force sensor, electrode, and catheter structure into an integrated distal tip assembly. This merging of components reduces the overall device complexity compared to having separate sensing and therapeutic elements, while maintaining precise contact force measurement capability at the treatment site.
Solution Approach 2:
The distal tip of the catheter is designed to serve multiple functions: delivering therapeutic energy through the electrode, sensing contact force through the force sensor, and providing mechanical support. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate devices and simplifies the overall system architecture.
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 probe achieves improved pressure distribution and measurement, ensuring effective tissue contact without causing damage, allowing for precise control during medical procedures and enhancing the accuracy of diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling member, which couples the distal tip to the distal end of the insertion tube and which includes a tubular piece of an elastic material having a plurality of intertwined helical cuts therethrough
Data Source
AI summary
A medical probe, consisting of a flexible insertion tube, having a distal end for insertion into a body cavity of a patient, and a distal tip, which is disposed at the distal end of the flexible insertion tube is configured to be brought into contact with tissue in the body cavity. The probe also includes a coupling member, which couples the distal tip to the distal end of the insertion tube and which consists of a tubular piece of an elastic material having a plurality of intertwined helical cuts therethrough along a portion of a length of the piece.