Channel Balloon Catheter for Blood-Flow-Preserving Dilation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drug-coated balloons (DCBs) occlude blood vessels during expansion, leading to ischemia of downstream tissues and inadequate drug absorption, limiting their deployment time and therapeutic efficacy.
Innovation Solution
A balloon catheter design with a balloon body featuring alternating raised and recessed portions and a covering membrane, allowing fluid flow channels between them, enabling expansion without vessel occlusion and facilitating extended drug delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the balloon catheter is expanded to contact the vessel wall for adequate drug absorption, then the drug delivery effectiveness is improved, but the blood flow is blocked causing ischemia of downstream tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon catheter is segmented into multiple radial struts that can be independently controlled. These struts are arranged in a segmented pattern around the balloon, allowing selective expansion of specific segments while maintaining patency in other segments. This segmentation enables the balloon to remain expanded for adequate drug absorption time without completely blocking blood flow, as blood can continue to flow through the unexpanded segments or through channels within the strut structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the balloon catheter are given different functional qualities. The radial struts are designed with specific mechanical properties to provide localized support and controlled expansion. The drug coating is applied locally to specific segments of the balloon surface that contact the vessel wall, while other segments maintain open channels for blood flow. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of adequate drug delivery in contact regions and maintained blood flow in non-contact regions.
2Quantity of substance
If the balloon is expanded for a longer period to improve drug absorption, then the therapeutic outcome is improved, but the risk of causing severe ischemia increases
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon is divided into multiple expandable segments with radial struts. By selectively expanding only the segments needed for drug delivery while leaving other segments unexpanded, the system achieves adequate drug absorption in the treated segments without causing complete vessel occlusion. Blood flow is maintained through the unexpanded segments, allowing prolonged balloon expansion time for improved drug absorption while preventing severe ischemia.
Solution Approach 2:
The radial struts act as intermediaries between the balloon expansion force and the vessel wall. They provide controlled, localized contact with the vessel wall for drug delivery while their structured arrangement creates interstitial channels that allow blood flow to pass through. This intermediary structure enables the balloon to maintain an expanded state for adequate drug absorption time without completely blocking the blood flow path, thus preventing severe ischemia.
3Manufacturing precision
If the balloon is fully expanded to ensure uniform drug contact with the vessel wall, then the drug delivery uniformity is improved, but the blood flow occlusion is complete
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon structure is segmented into multiple radial struts that create distinct contact zones with the vessel wall. Each strut segment provides localized uniform drug contact where it touches the vessel wall, while the spaces between struts maintain open channels for blood flow. This segmented approach achieves sufficient drug delivery uniformity across the treated segments without requiring complete circumferential expansion that would totally occlude blood flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The balloon applies drug delivery function locally at the strut-vessel wall contact points rather than requiring uniform circumferential contact. The drug coating is concentrated on the strut surfaces that directly contact the vessel wall, providing effective localized drug delivery. The non-contact regions between struts remain open for blood flow, achieving adequate drug uniformity in treated areas without complete blood flow blockage.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
A balloon catheter includes a balloon body (100) and a covering membrane (200). The balloon body (100) defines an inflation lumen, through which an inflation medium can be introduced into the balloon body (100) to inflate it. When so inflated, the balloon body (100) has a cross-section with raised portions (110) and recessed portions (120), which alternate circumferentially around the balloon body (100). The covering membrane (200) is disposed on a circumferential surface of the balloon body (100) and attached to the raised portions (110) so that fluid flow channels (101) are defined between the covering membrane (200) and the recessed portions (120), which are isolated from the inflation lumen. The balloon body (100) of the balloon catheter can be introduced into a blood vessel to dilate it without blocking blood flow therein. Thus, the balloon body (100) can be deployed in an expanded configuration for an extended period of time, resulting in improved therapeutic outcomes.