Deflectable Stylet With Bend-Enhancing Region For Catheter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac catheters face difficulties in maneuvering their distal parts to awkwardly situated areas of the heart wall, requiring improved flexibility and control for precise tissue contact during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A deflectable stylet with a bend-enhancing region, actuator, control member, and deflection control mechanism, allowing adjustable deflection and torsional stiffness, is integrated into a catheter system. The stylet features an elongate deflectable member with longitudinally spaced slots and a pull wire actuator, enabling variable curvature and positioning within the catheter's lumen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible catheter is used to access awkwardly situated heart wall areas, then the catheter can reach difficult positions, but the catheter lacks sufficient control for precise tissue contact
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple sections with different flexibility characteristics. The proximal section has higher flexural rigidity for stable control, while the distal section has lower flexural rigidity for navigation into awkward areas. This segmentation allows each section to perform its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter incorporates a deflectable stylet with adjustable deflection characteristics. The stylet can be dynamically repositioned within the catheter lumen using a control mechanism, allowing the operator to adjust the catheter's curvature and orientation in real-time to achieve precise tissue contact while maintaining the ability to reach difficult positions.
2Measurement precision
If a deflectable stylet with multiple control elements is added to the catheter, then control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deflectable stylet is nested within the catheter lumen, with the stylet's control mechanism integrated into the catheter's existing structure. The stylet's distal end is fastened to the catheter wall, creating a compact nested arrangement that provides enhanced control without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflectable stylet serves multiple functions: it provides structural support to the flexible catheter, enables navigation into awkwardly situated areas, and allows precise positioning through deflection control. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate control mechanisms that would otherwise be required.
3Ease of manufacture
If low-cost materials are used for the deflectable stylet, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but material performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies particular parameter ranges for the low-cost materials used in the deflectable stylet, including flexural rigidity (10^-6 to 10^-3 Nm), tensile strength (50-200 MPa), and elongation at break (10-50%). By controlling these parameters, the patent ensures that inexpensive materials meet the necessary performance requirements for reliable catheter operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The deflectable stylet is constructed from composite materials that combine low-cost components with enhanced mechanical properties. This composite approach allows the use of inexpensive base materials while achieving the required performance characteristics through material composition and structural design.
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 stylet enhances the catheter's ability to accurately position the distal part, providing greater flexibility and versatility for accessing hard-to-reach heart areas, while being cost-effective for one-time use due to low-cost materials.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator having a distal end fast with a distal end of the deflectable member, relative displacement between the actuator and the deflectable member causing deflection of the distal part of the deflectable member at the bend-enhancing region
Implementation Method 2
an elongate deflectable member with a bend-enhancing region defined at a distal part of the deflectable member
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A deflectable stylet 10 for a catheter includes an elongate deflectable member 12 with a bend-enhancing region 20 defined at a distal part of the deflectable member 12. An actuator 16 has a distal end 16. 1 fast with a distal end 12.1 of the deflectable member 12, relative displacement between the actuator 16 and the deflectable member 12 causing deflection of the distal part of the deflectable member 12 at the bend-enhancing region 20. A control member 18 is displaceably arranged relative to the deflectable member 12, the control member 18 interacting with the bend-enhancing region 20 of the deflectable member 12 for controlling the extent of deflection of the distal part of the deflectable member 12.