Electroactive Polymer Stricture Dilation Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for dilating strictures, such as those formed after gastric bypass surgery, are often ineffective and time-consuming, with balloon catheters prone to breaking and existing devices struggling to fully re-open the passageway.
Innovation Solution
A tissue dilation device featuring a flexible elongate shaft with an electroactive polymer (EAP) actuator that radially expands upon energy delivery, allowing for controlled and efficient dilation of strictures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a balloon catheter is used to dilate strictures, then the passageway can be expanded, but the balloon may break when expanded against the stricture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the actuator from traditional balloon material to electroactive polymer, which exhibits different mechanical properties including higher elasticity and resistance to bursting. The EAP actuator can undergo large deformations (300-500% strain) without breaking, resolving the contradiction between expansion force and balloon durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator is constructed as a composite structure with electroactive polymer layers, conductive layers, and support structures. This composite design combines the high elasticity of EAP with the structural integrity of supporting frameworks, enabling the actuator to withstand high expansion forces without breaking while maintaining reliability.
2Productivity
If manual manipulation is used to break up stricture tissue, then the stricture can be opened, but the procedure becomes very time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical manipulation with an electroactive polymer actuator that expands automatically upon application of electrical voltage. This substitution eliminates the need for time-consuming manual manipulation while achieving effective stricture dilation, thereby increasing productivity and reducing procedure time.
Solution Approach 2:
The electroactive polymer actuator can be activated in periodic cycles with controlled voltage application, allowing for progressive dilation of the stricture. This periodic expansion capability enables efficient tissue remodeling over time without requiring continuous manual intervention, reducing overall procedure time while maintaining effective dilation.
3Manufacturing precision
If a tube is inserted and manipulated to break up stricture tissue, then the stricture can be opened, but it is difficult to fully re-open the passageway
Solution Approach 1:
The electroactive polymer actuator provides dynamic, controlled expansion capability that can be adjusted in real-time during the procedure. The actuator can be inflated to different degrees and maintained at optimal pressure levels, allowing for complete and precise re-opening of the passageway without the limitations of rigid tube manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator is designed to expand beyond the strict minimum required diameter, providing excessive action that ensures complete re-opening of the passageway. This over-expansion capability, controlled through voltage regulation, guarantees full patency while allowing for precise control to avoid tissue damage, thereby improving dilation completeness.
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 device effectively increases the diameter of strictures by at least 30% through controlled energy delivery, providing a more efficient and reliable method for stricture dilation compared to existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator can be an electrically-expandable member, and more preferably it can be in the form of an electroactive polymer (EAP)
Data Source
AI summary
Various methods and devices for dilating strictures in a lumen are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a stricture dilation device is provided having an elongate shaft with at least one electrically expandable actuator coupled thereto and adapted to radially expand to dilate a stricture in a lumen.