Cryotherapeutic Catheter Basket Design for Renal Artery Blood Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cryogenic catheters that inflate balloons to administer cryotherapy can occlude blood flow, particularly in the renal artery, leading to undesirable increases in blood pressure and other effects.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with an elongate shaft and distal end portion featuring a plurality of tubes that define a fluid pathway for cryogenic fluid circulation, including thermally conductive elements and a basket configuration to allow blood flow while applying cryotherapy, with prongs that transition from a linear to an expanded configuration to ensure effective treatment without occluding blood vessels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a balloon is inflated in a cryogenic catheter to administer cryotherapy, then cryotherapy can be effectively delivered to the target tissue, but blood flow may be occluded leading to undesirable increases in blood pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter tip is divided into multiple separate tubes instead of using a single balloon structure. Each tube can independently deliver cryogenic fluid to different portions of the target tissue, allowing distributed cryotherapy delivery without requiring a single large occluding structure like a balloon
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces thermally conductive elements as intermediaries between the cryogenic fluid and the target tissue. These elements conduct thermal energy from the cryogenic fluid in the tubes to the surrounding tissue, enabling effective cryotherapy delivery without requiring direct contact or occlusion of the blood vessel by a balloon
2Temperature
If a balloon is used to apply cryotherapy, then thermal treatment can be concentrated on a specific area, but the balloon structure itself may occlude the renal artery
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single balloon structure, the catheter employs multiple separate tubes arranged in a basket configuration. Each tube is a separate element that can be independently positioned and controlled, eliminating the need for a single complex balloon structure that would occlude the renal artery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-point balloon structure to a distributed three-dimensional basket arrangement of multiple tubes. This spatial distribution allows cryotherapy to be applied to multiple areas simultaneously without requiring a single occluding structure, effectively utilizing three-dimensional space around the renal artery
3Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple tubes are used to deliver cryogenic fluid, then blood flow can be maintained while applying treatment, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple separate tubes are merged into a single integrated basket structure that functions as one cohesive unit. The tubes are arranged concentrically and can be collectively deployed and retrieved as a single assembly, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining the ability to deliver cryogenic fluid through multiple channels
Solution Approach 2:
The basket structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the multiple tubes, enables their collective deployment and retrieval, maintains spacing between tubes, and facilitates cryogenic fluid delivery through all tubes. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components
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
Enables the application of cryotherapy while maintaining blood flow, reducing the risk of temporary blood pressure increases and ensuring effective thermal conduction for targeted tissue treatment.
Implementation Method 1
at least one thermally conductive treatment element disposed about at least one of the plurality of tubes
Implementation Method 2
circulation of cryogenic fluid
Implementation Method 3
at least one thermally conductive treatment element disposed about at least one of the plurality of tubes
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device including a proximal end portion and a distal end portion opposite the proximal end portion. An elongate shaft is disposed between the proximal and distal end portions and defines a lumen therebetween. The distal end portion includes a plurality of tubes extending from a distal end of the elongate shaft, the plurality of tubes defining a fluid pathway therein in communication with the lumen for circulation of cryogenic fluid, the plurality of tubes having a common exhaust lumen in fluid communication with the lumen.