Corrugated RF Ablation Catheter with Adjustable Wire
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing radiofrequency ablation catheters have limited adaptability to blood vessels with varying diameters, as their expanding and retracting sizes are typically fixed, leading to inconsistent electrode attachment and surgical effectiveness across different patients.
Innovation Solution
A corrugated radiofrequency ablation catheter with a wall-attaching adjustment wire, featuring a corrugated electrode frame and a control handle, allows for adjustable electrode frame diameters through a sliding wire mechanism, enabling even attachment to blood vessel walls of varying diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electrode frame uses a fixed expanding and retracting size, then the structure is simple, but it cannot adapt to different diameters of human blood vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode frame transitions from a fixed size structure to a dynamic adjustable size structure. The corrugated electrode frame can be compressed and expanded along its longitudinal axis, allowing the diameter to be adjusted according to different blood vessel sizes. This dynamic capability enables the same catheter to adapt to various vessel diameters without requiring multiple fixed-size catheters.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameter of the electrode frame diameter is made variable. By controlling the compression and expansion of the corrugated structure, the diameter of the electrode frame can be changed to match different blood vessel diameters. This parameter change allows the catheter to be versatile across different patient and vessel configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the electrode frame diameter is adjusted to match different blood vessel diameters, then coverage over different patients is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode frame is segmented into multiple corrugated sections that can be independently compressed and expanded. This segmentation allows the frame to be adjusted in a modular fashion, where each corrugation can be controlled to achieve the desired overall diameter. The segmented structure simplifies the adjustment mechanism compared to a monolithic design.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated electrode frame serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables diameter adjustment, and maintains electrode contact with the blood vessel wall. By integrating the adjustment capability into the frame structure itself, the device achieves multi-functionality without requiring separate adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electrode frame is compressed to fit smaller blood vessels, then it can enter and position in smaller vessels, but the electrode attachment force may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode frame uses dynamic compression of the corrugated structure to enter smaller vessels, then can be expanded to increase electrode attachment force. The corrugations allow the frame to be compressed for navigation through small vessels and then expanded to provide sufficient contact force with the vessel wall, maintaining both navigability and attachment strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated structure introduces curvature and surface area variation to the electrode frame. This curved, corrugated geometry increases the contact area between the electrode frame and the blood vessel wall, thereby enhancing the attachment force. The corrugations distribute the contact pressure across multiple points, maintaining strong attachment even when the overall frame diameter is reduced for navigation.
Data Source
AI summary
A corrugated radiofrequency ablation catheter having wall-attaching adjustment wires (6, 6A, 6B, 6A′, and 6B′), provided with a strip-shaped connecting catheter, an electrode frame provided at the front end of the connecting catheter, and a control handle (20) provided at the rear end of the connecting catheter. The electrode frame is a corrugated electrode frame consisting of one or more corrugations, where one or more electrodes (2) respectively are distributed on the corrugations. The rear sections of the wall-attaching adjustment wires (6, 6A, 6B, 6A′, and 6B′) are slidably provided within one lumen of the connecting catheter and are connected at the rear extremities (60) onto a control element (22) provided on the control handle (20) or connected onto a control element (22) provided outside of the control handle (20).