Expandable Intravascular Catheter with Incising Struts for Lesion Fragmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current intravascular catheters for treating atherosclerosis lack an effective mechanism to selectively fragment atherosclerotic lesions and often require cumbersome embolic protection devices, which are difficult to inventory and position, posing risks and inefficiencies during surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
An intravascular catheter with an expandable incising portion featuring struts with sharpened edges that can be controlled to create incisions in atherosclerotic material, integrated with a medication delivery system to facilitate treatment, allowing for selective fragmentation and reduced embolic risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional balloon catheters are used for angioplasty, then the vessel lumen can be dilated, but the atherosclerotic lesions cannot be effectively fragmented
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into functional segments: a delivery catheter for navigation, an expandable incising portion with multiple struts for lesion fragmentation, and a medication delivery system. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall system manageability
Solution Approach 2:
The incising portion transitions from a compressed delivery configuration to an expanded working configuration. The struts are collapsible during delivery and expandable at the treatment site, allowing the device to adapt its structure dynamically to perform incising functions only when needed at the target location
2Reliability
If embolic protection devices are used during angioplasty, then embolic risks can be reduced, but the procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter integrates multiple functions into a single device: incising elements for lesion fragmentation, medication delivery capability for local therapy, and design features that reduce embolic risks. This merging eliminates the need for separate embolic protection devices while maintaining comprehensive treatment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The single catheter device performs multiple functions: it navigates to the lesion, fragments the atherosclerotic material through expandable struts with incising elements, delivers medication locally, and minimizes embolic risks. This multi-functionality replaces what previously required multiple separate devices and procedures
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate devices are used for lesion treatment and embolic protection, then comprehensive protection is provided, but inventory management and device selection become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is designed as a universal platform that can treat various types of atherosclerotic lesions across different vascular beds. The expandable struts with incising elements adapt to different lesion characteristics, and the medication delivery system can accommodate various drug formulations, eliminating the need to maintain inventories of multiple specialized devices
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular catheter device includes an expandable portion with a plurality of struts operable between a closed position where the expandable portion has a first diameter, and an opened position where the expandable portion has a second diameter that is larger than the first diameter. An incising element is provided on and extends from the outward facing surface of a particular one of the struts. A medication delivery tube is associated with the particular one of the struts and the incising element.