Elastically Deformable Fixation Fingers for Compact Pacemaker Implantation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional implantable cardiac pacemakers with elongate lead wires face mechanical complications and MRI compatibility issues, prompting the need for compact devices that can be implanted close to the pacing site without the need for lengthy lead wires.
Innovation Solution
A compact implantable medical device with a fixation member featuring elastically deformable fingers around its perimeter, which can be wedged between tissue surfaces for secure implantation, using a delivery tool to extend and retract the fingers for fixation, preventing penetration and ensuring intimate tissue contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If traditional implantable cardiac pacemakers with elongate lead wires are used, then the device can be implanted remotely from the heart, but mechanical complications and MRI compatibility issues occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the elongate lead wires from the traditional pacemaker system, extracting the problematic component that causes mechanical complications and MRI incompatibility. The device is reconfigured to be self-contained with integrated electrodes, eliminating the need for separate lead wires that extend from the pulse generator to the heart.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the pulse generator and electrodes into a single integrated compact device. The fixation member with deformable fingers is integrated into the device housing, merging the fixation function with the pacing function in one unified implantable unit, eliminating the need for separate lead wire components.
2Reliability
If a compact device is implanted close to the pacing site, then mechanical complications and MRI compatibility issues are reduced, but secure fixation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation member incorporates deformable fingers that can dynamically change their configuration. The fingers are designed to be flexible and elastically deformable, allowing them to adapt to the tissue geometry at the implant site and provide secure fixation through elastic deformation rather than rigid structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the fixation fingers by making them elastically deformable with specific mechanical properties. The fingers are designed with controlled elasticity to allow compression during delivery and expansion upon deployment, changing their dimensional and mechanical parameters to achieve secure fixation in the compact device configuration.
3Reliability
If deformable fixation fingers are used, then secure tissue fixation is achieved, but tissue penetration risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different local qualities to different parts of the fixation system. The fingers have varying cross-sectional areas along their length, with thicker portions providing structural integrity and thinner portions providing flexibility. The distal tips are specifically designed with reduced cross-sectional area to minimize tissue penetration risk while maintaining fixation effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation fingers are designed as flexible elastic structures that can deform without causing tissue damage. The elastic material and thin-finger design allow the structure to conform to tissue surfaces rather than penetrate them, using flexibility and elastic deformation to achieve fixation without the harmful effect of tissue penetration.
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 solution allows for secure and efficient implantation of the device close to the pacing site, reducing mechanical complications and enhancing MRI compatibility by using a compact design with a fixation mechanism that prevents tissue penetration and ensures stable electrode contact.
Implementation Method 1
The first segment of each finger is elastically deformable from a relaxed condition to an extended condition, and from the relaxed condition to a compressed condition
Data Source
AI summary
A fixation member component, for example, employed by a relatively compact implantable medical device, includes a plurality of fingers; each finger includes a first segment extending from a fixed end of the corresponding finger, and a second segment extending from the corresponding first segment to a free end of the corresponding finger. Each first segment is elastically deformable from a relaxed to an extended condition, and from the relaxed to a compressed condition, and includes a peripheral portion and a central cut-out portion, framed by the peripheral portion. In the compressed condition, a free tip of the cut-out portion of some or all of the fingers may lodge against opposing tissue surfaces, via a spring force of the compressed fingers. Each second segment and cut-out portion is preferably configured to prevent penetration thereof within tissue at the implant site.