Expandable Catheter for Viscous Hydrogel Delivery in Sinus Endoscopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current therapy delivery catheters are too small for effective injection of viscous hydrogel fluids into anatomical regions like the sinus cavity, causing tissue trauma and challenging navigation, and there is a need for an expandable section to ensure even distribution of therapy and ergonomic delivery.
Innovation Solution
A catheter with an expandable section at the distal end that can attach to an endoscope, allowing for expansion during therapy delivery and returning to a non-expanded state for easy insertion and removal, featuring pores or holes for even distribution of viscous materials like hydrogels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a catheter is made small for easy passage into body tissue, then ease of operation is improved, but the ability to deliver viscous hydrogel therapy is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs an expandable section that can dynamically change size - collapsed to a small profile for navigation through narrow passageways, then expanded at the target site to deliver viscous hydrogel therapy effectively. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction between small size for passage and large size for therapy delivery.
2Quantity of substance
If a catheter is made large for effective injection of viscous hydrogel, then therapy delivery capability is improved, but tissue trauma and navigation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is segmented into different functional zones: a narrow distal tip for navigation through narrow passageways without tissue trauma, and an expanded proximal section for effective hydrogel injection. This segmentation allows each part to optimize its function - small for passage, large for delivery.
3Quantity of substance
If a catheter is made large for therapy delivery, then therapy distribution effectiveness is improved, but ease of insertion and removal is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable section transforms from a collapsed state during insertion/removal to an expanded state during therapy delivery. This dynamic size change enables easy navigation through narrow passageways while providing sufficient volume for even hydrogel distribution when expanded at the target site.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus and method are presented for a therapy delivery including a catheter, an endoscope and an endoscope shaft, one or more attachment features for attaching the catheter to the endoscope, wherein the catheter has an expandable lumen at a distal end and wherein the expandable lumen expands upon injection of a therapy at the proximal end of the catheter. Attachment features may be a series of clips along the length of the catheter for attaching to an endoscope or a second lumen on the catheter wherein an endoscope may through one of said lumens. Targeted therapy delivery may be a hydrogel or a chitosan hydrogel to provide a treatment within a sinus of a patient.