Compressible Shunt Implant Strut Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical implants, such as Nitinol devices, face limitations in size reduction for delivery through catheters, leading to material stress and potential deformation, which restricts their compatibility with various catheter sizes and increases the risk of permanent deformation during compression.
Innovation Solution
A medical implant design featuring a central flow portion with a network of struts that can bend in response to crimping pressure, allowing it to reduce in diameter and increase in length, and return to its original configuration upon removal from the catheter, along with anchoring arms that can expand to secure the implant in place, minimizing material strain and enabling delivery through smaller catheters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional medical implants are compressed to reduce size for catheter delivery, then the implant can be delivered through smaller catheters, but material stress and potential deformation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is divided into multiple cells formed by struts, allowing the structure to be segmented in a way that enables compression while maintaining structural integrity. Each cell can deform independently during compression, distributing stress across the entire structure rather than concentrating it in single points.
Solution Approach 2:
The strut configuration parameters are specifically designed to allow bending under compression while maintaining reliability. The struts are arranged and dimensioned to undergo controlled deformation during compression and then return to their original configuration, changing their physical state temporarily during delivery without permanent deformation.
2Reliability
If the implant structure is made more rigid to prevent deformation, then reliability improves, but the ability to compress for delivery through small catheters decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The implant transitions from a rigid state during deployment to a flexible, compressible state during delivery. The dynamic structure allows the implant to be rigid when needed for structural support and reliability, yet flexible enough to compress into small catheters for delivery, adapting its mechanical properties based on the operational phase.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the implant into a cellular structure with struts, the design achieves both rigidity and compressibility. The segmented architecture provides structural integrity when expanded while allowing compression when collapsed, enabling the implant to meet both reliability and adaptability requirements.
3Productivity
If the implant is designed with a larger diameter to maintain flow capacity, then blood flow performance improves, but the ability to deliver through small catheters is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The implant可以采用嵌套结构，将较大直径的植入物嵌套在输送导管内。在输送状态下，植入物被压缩到小于导管直径的尺寸；在部署状态下，植入物恢复到其较大的原始直径，从而保持了血液流动容量。
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 implant can be compressed to fit within smaller catheters with minimal material strain, ensuring compatibility and reducing the risk of deformation, while expanding to maintain blood flow and secure anchoring within the body.
Implementation Method 1
Each strut of the first network of struts is configured to bend in response to crimping pressure such that the two or more cells increase in length and decrease in width. Each strut of the first network of struts is configured to return to an original configuration in response to removal of the crimping pressure.
Implementation Method 2
In some embodiments, the medical implant is at least partially composed of Nitinol.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical implant comprises a central flow portion having a first network of struts forming two or more cells, a first set of anchoring arms, and a second set of anchoring arms. The two or more cells are arranged linearly and extend from the first set of anchoring arms to the second set of anchoring arms.