Distal Anchor for Mitral Valve Repair via Percutaneous Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiac valve repair procedures are invasive, requiring cardiac arrest and carrying significant risks such as strokes, myocardial stunning, and respiratory failure, due to the need for open-heart surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive method using a delivery device to insert a distal anchor within the heart's atrium, allowing for the adjustment of anchor-tether apparatuses to secure prolapsed mitral valve leaflets without stopping the heart, thereby preventing regurgitation while the heart is still beating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is performed, then complete access to the heart for valve repair is achieved, but significant risks including strokes, myocardial stunning, and respiratory failure occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cardiopulmonary bypass system with a percutaneous delivery system that uses catheter-based tools to perform valve repair while the heart continues to beat naturally, eliminating the harmful effects of mechanical circulatory support
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a catheter-based delivery system as an intermediary between the operator and the heart valve, allowing repair procedures to be performed through small percutaneous access points rather than requiring open surgical exposure and cardiac arrest
2Ease of operation
If open-heart surgery is performed to repair mitral valve, then proper access for repair is obtained, but invasive procedures and cardiac arrest are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the valve repair procedure into modular components that can be delivered separately through catheters, including detachable anchors, tethers, and leaflet engagement elements, allowing minimally invasive delivery while maintaining repair effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from the traditional spatial approach of open surgical access to a percutaneous dimension, delivering repair components through small puncture sites in the skin and navigating them through the vascular system to reach the heart valve
3Ease of operation
If distal anchor is deployed within atrium using delivery device, then minimally invasive access is achieved, but precise positioning and deployment control must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates imaging guidance and positioning feedback mechanisms that allow real-time monitoring of catheter and anchor position, enabling precise placement of the distal anchor within the atrium while maintaining minimally invasive access
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a delivery device with dynamic control capabilities that allow the operator to adjust and fine-tune the positioning of the distal anchor during deployment, ensuring precise placement while maintaining the benefits of percutaneous access
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C
AI summary
In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a needle, a pusher, a distal anchor having a distal end, a proximal end, a plurality of radially expandable members between the distal end and the proximal end, and a central bore, and an artificial chordae having a proximal portion and a distal portion terminating in a stopper. The pusher is disposed within a bore of the needle for movement between a delivery position and a deployed position. The distal anchor is disposed within the bore of the needle in a delivery configuration and movable between a delivery position and a deployed position. The artificial chordae is disposed within the bore of the distal anchor with the stopper distal to a distal end of the stopper and the proximal portion proximal to the proximal end of the distal anchor. The distal anchor is reconfigurable from the delivery configuration to a deployed configuration.