Curved Fire-Forward Needle Assembly for Accurate Vascular Puncture

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Solution Overview

Problem

Puncturing adjacent vascular entities for stent placement in aortorenal bypass procedures is challenging due to the slippery and unstable nature of vessels, necessitating open surgery methods for accurate stent placement.

Innovation Solution

A needle firing assembly with a curved needle and suction device that facilitates minimally invasive procedures by creating a passageway between vascular entities, using a firing device to extend the needle and a suction device to secure the vascular surface before puncturing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If open surgery is used to puncture vascular entities, then puncture accuracy is improved, but invasiveness increases and procedural complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepuncture accuracyVSAvoidinvasiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A curved needle serves as an intermediary tool that bridges the gap between percutaneous access and accurate vascular puncture. The needle's curvature allows it to navigate through subcutaneous tissue and accurately engage the target vascular entity without requiring open surgical exposure, thereby maintaining minimally invasive benefits while achieving precise puncture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The needle is designed with a specific curvature that allows it to follow a controlled path through tissue to reach the target vascular entity. This curvature enables the needle to traverse the unstable, slippery vascular surface accurately while being advanced percutaneously, resolving the contradiction between minimally invasive access and puncture precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Device complexity

If a straight needle is used for puncturing, then device simplicity is improved, but needle slippage increases due to unstable vascular surface

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneedle structureVSAvoidneedle stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The curved needle design provides inherent stability when engaging the slippery vascular surface. The curvature allows the needle to conform to and engage the vascular entity more effectively, preventing slippage during the puncture procedure while maintaining relative structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Ease of operation

If minimally invasive percutaneous procedure is used, then invasiveness is reduced, but puncture accuracy deteriorates due to slippery vascular surface

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveinvasivenessVSAvoidpuncture accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The curved needle acts as a specialized intermediary tool that enables accurate percutaneous puncture of slippery vascular entities. Its design allows it to maintain stability and precision during minimally invasive procedures, overcoming the limitations of both straight needles and open surgery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The curved geometry of the needle provides mechanical advantage for engaging and stabilizing on the slippery vascular surface during percutaneous access, enabling accurate puncture without requiring open surgical exposure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

4Measurement precision

If open surgery is performed, then stent placement accuracy is improved, but procedural time increases and patient recovery time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestent placement accuracyVSAvoidprocedural time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The curved needle serves as a precision intermediary tool that enables accurate stent placement trajectories to be established percutaneously. By creating an accurate initial puncture path through the curved needle, subsequent stent delivery can follow this predetermined trajectory, achieving open-surgery-level accuracy with minimally invasive timing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 accurate and minimally invasive stent placement between vascular entities by reducing the likelihood of needle slippage during puncturing, allowing for endovascular or percutaneous procedures.

Implementation Method 1

a suction device in fluid communication with an interior of the catheter, the suction device configured to draw a suction force through a distal end of the catheter opposite the firing device

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSuction: Suction

Data Source

PatentUS20260033888A1Curved fire-forward needle for puncturing and traversing vasculature

Publication Date: 2026.02.05 BARD PERIPHERAL VASCULAR INC

AI summary

A needle firing assembly of methods of use includes a firing device, a catheter extending from the firing device, a needle extending from the firing device and through an interior of the catheter, the needle having a curvature proximate a distal end of the needle opposite the firing device, and a suction device in fluid communication with an interior of the catheter. The suction device is configured to draw a suction force through a distal end of the catheter opposite the firing device. The firing device is configured to move the needle in a forward firing direction relative to the catheter to extend the distal end of the needle through the distal end of the catheter.