Deflectable Rigid Body Anchor for Implantable Medical Leads
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anchors for implantable medical leads face reliability issues due to inadequate suturing and inability to securely grip the lead body, often requiring a free end of the lead for removal.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a deflectable rigid body within an elastic body, featuring longitudinal free edges that create full-length slots, allowing for secure anchoring and easy removal by slitting the elastic body along these slots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional anchors rely on suture pressure to prevent movement, then the anchor can be installed without additional gripping features, but the reliability is reduced due to inadequate suturing and inability to grip the lead body
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor is divided into two functional components: an elastic body for securement and a rigid body insert for gripping. The rigid body is further segmented with longitudinal slots that allow it to deflect and grip the lead body. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor combines two different materials with complementary properties: an elastic body material that can deform and conform to the lead body, and a rigid body material that provides structural strength and gripping force. This composite structure resolves the contradiction by providing both securement and gripping functions without requiring excessive complexity in a single material.
2Reliability
If conventional anchors lack a rigid insert, then the device complexity is reduced, but the anchor cannot securely grip the lead body even when sutured tightly
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid body insert acts as an intermediary element between the elastic body and the lead body. It transfers and concentrates the gripping force onto the lead body while the elastic body provides the securing force. This intermediary component enables secure gripping without requiring the entire anchor structure to be complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid body insert is designed with longitudinal slots that allow it to dynamically deflect and conform to the lead body during installation and securement. This dynamic capability enables the rigid insert to adapt to the lead body geometry while maintaining gripping force, resolving the contradiction between grip security and structural simplicity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If anchors require a free end of the lead for removal, then the removal process is simplified, but the anchor design loses versatility for leads without accessible free ends
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid body insert is extracted or removed from the elastic body through the longitudinal slots, allowing the anchor to be detached from the lead body. This extraction mechanism provides versatility for removal without requiring a free end of the lead, as the insert can be pulled through the slots to release the anchor's grip and securement.
Solution Approach 2:
The longitudinal slots in the rigid body insert create segmented pathways that allow for tool insertion and manipulation during removal. This segmentation enables the anchor to be removed by accessing the slots from the lead body side, providing versatility for leads where the free end is not accessible, while maintaining ease of operation through standardized removal tools.
4Ease of operation
If the anchor uses partial length slots in the insert, then the deflection capability is provided, but the anchor remains vulnerable to inadequate suturing and requires a free end for removal
Solution Approach 1:
The longitudinal slots change the physical parameters of the rigid body insert by allowing it to deflect along the slot directions. This deflection capability enables the insert to conform to the lead body while the elastic body provides securement, maintaining reliability without requiring inadequate suturing techniques. The parameter change from rigid to deflectable resolves the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
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
This design enhances the securement and stability of the anchor on the medical lead, reducing the risk of movement and facilitating easy removal without the need for a free end, thereby improving reliability and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
The anchor includes an elastic body that the rigid body lies within, and the elastic body may also contact the lead body for additional grip
Implementation Method 2
the elastic body may also contact the lead body for additional grip
Data Source
AI summary
Anchors for use with implantable medical leads include an elastic body containing one or more rigid bodies that have longitudinal free edges. The longitudinal free edges run from end to end to define full length slots. Partial length slots may also be included within the one or more rigid bodies. The full length and partial length slots allow for deflection of the rigid bodies against the body of an implantable medical lead to hold the anchor in place on the lead. The full length slots allow a blade to pass through and cut a slit in the elastic body which allows the anchor to be removed from the lead.