Endovascular Compliance Assembly Passive Pumping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Vessels, such as the aorta, lose compliance due to age or diseases like atherosclerosis, leading to increased stiffness, which makes it harder for the heart to pump blood, potentially resulting in reduced blood ejection with each heartbeat.
Innovation Solution
An endovascular assembly comprising an expandable balloon with at least two planar surfaces and self-expanding stents, connected to a closed fluid system that includes an outer and inner chamber, where the balloon's volume change due to blood flow is accompanied by pressure changes, acting as a passive pump to improve vascular compliance and reduce the heart's workload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a vessel loses compliance due to age or disease, then the vessel becomes stiffer and more structurally stable, but the heart must work harder to pump blood and blood ejection volume decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary compliant structure (the implantable device with flexible membrane and fluid chamber) between the heart and the stiffened aorta. This mediator absorbs pressure fluctuations and provides compliance, allowing the heart to pump more efficiently without directly interacting with the stiffened vessel wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes the physical parameters of the vascular system by introducing a compliant chamber that can expand and contract. The fluid chamber's volume changes in response to pressure variations, effectively transforming the rigid vessel segment into a dynamically compliant structure that adapts to cardiac cycling.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If an expandable balloon with at least two planar surfaces is used, then the probability of blood clots dislodging from the surface is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The balloon is designed with at least two planar surfaces instead of a traditional symmetric spherical or cylindrical shape. This asymmetric geometry creates flow patterns that reduce clot formation and dislodgement risk on the balloon surface while maintaining functional effectiveness.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If a closed fluid system with outer and inner chambers is used, then the system can function as a passive pump for long-term care, but the device complexity and implantation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into distinct functional components: an outer chamber containing fluid, an inner compliant chamber, and a flexible membrane separating them. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while working together as an integrated passive pumping system.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner compliant chamber is nested within the outer chamber, with the flexible membrane forming the boundary between them. This nested configuration allows the inner chamber to expand and contract within the confines of the outer chamber, creating a compact passive pump design that can be implanted long-term.
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 assembly reduces the blood pressure required to pump blood through the vascular system, allowing the heart to eject a greater volume of blood with reduced effort, and can be used for long-term care without external connections, making it suitable for ambulatory patients.
Implementation Method 1
whereby a change in volume of the first container due to blood flowing thereby is accompanied by a change in pressure of the closed fluid system
Implementation Method 2
When a vessel loses compliance, it loses elasticity and typically becomes stiffer
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3C
Figure 4
AI summary
An endovascular assembly (10) for improving vessel compliance by reducing the blood pressure needed to eject a given volume of blood. The assembly comprises a first expandable container (12), a balloon (32) for example, positioned in the vascular system. The first container (12) has a variable volume in response to blood flow in the vessel, and is fixed to at least one expandable attachment member (16). When the attachment member (16) is expanded inside of the vasculature, the attachment member (16) is preferably fixed inside the vessel. The assembly further comprises a second container (20), preferably having a fixed volume that forms a closed fluid system when fluidly connected to the first container (12). The connection between the first container (12) and the second container (20) permits a change in volume in the first container (12) to flow fluid into the second container (20). The second container (20) can be placed in a different location inside of the patient (13), preferably outside of the vessel.