Expandable Collar Prosthetic Vascular Conduit

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing prosthetic vascular conduits often require pre-assembly with a valve before surgical procedures, limiting flexibility and adaptability to individual patient anatomy and pathology during replacement procedures.

Innovation Solution

A prosthetic vascular conduit with a longitudinally flexible, tubular body and an expandable collar member that can radially expand to receive and securely anchor a prosthetic heart valve, allowing for coupling during the procedure, enabling easy and reliable attachment post-assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If the valve is pre-assembled with the conduit before surgery, then the device is ready for immediate implantation, but the flexibility and adaptability to individual patient anatomy is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepre-assembly timeVSAvoidadaptability to patient anatomy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The prosthetic valve and conduit are divided into separate components that can be independently prepared and stored. The conduit is provided with an expandable collar member that remains collapsed during storage and transport, allowing the valve to be coupled to the conduit during the surgical procedure rather than requiring pre-assembly. This segmentation enables both rapid deployment and patient-specific adaptability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The collar member is designed with dynamic expandability, transitioning from a collapsed state during implantation to an expanded state after valve coupling. This dynamic feature allows the system to adapt to different valve sizes and patient anatomies while maintaining a compact form factor during storage and surgical handling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If the valve is coupled to the conduit during the surgical procedure, then flexibility and adaptability to patient anatomy are improved, but the complexity of the surgical procedure increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to patient anatomyVSAvoidcoupling procedure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The expandable collar member serves as an intermediary component between the conduit and the prosthetic valve. It provides a simplified coupling interface that facilitates valve attachment during surgery through radial expansion and contraction, reducing the complexity of the coupling procedure while enabling adaptability to different valve sizes and patient anatomies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The collar member's radial dimension is changed during the coupling process through expansion and contraction. This parameter change enables the collar to accommodate different valve annular dimensions and facilitates secure attachment, simplifying the overall coupling procedure while maintaining adaptability to patient-specific requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If an expandable collar member is used to receive the valve annular portion, then secure attachment is achieved, but the device structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment securityVSAvoidconduit structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The collar member is integrated as part of the conduit structure, merging the functions of conduit support and valve attachment into a single component. This integration provides secure valve attachment through radial expansion while avoiding the need for separate attachment mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The collar member's expandable structure enables self-service attachment of the valve without requiring additional fastening components or complex assembly mechanisms. The radial expansion and contraction of the collar automatically secure the valve in place, achieving reliable attachment while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

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

Facilitates flexible and adaptable coupling of the valve to the conduit during surgery, accommodating varying patient anatomy and ensuring secure attachment, enhancing procedural efficiency and patient-specific outcomes.

Implementation Method 1

The collar member is radially expandable to receive the annular portion of the valve and has a portion radially contractible to engage the annular portion of the valve

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadial expansion and contraction:

Data Source

PatentUS8512397B2Prosthetic vascular conduit

Publication Date: 2013.08.20 CORCYM SRL

AI summary

A prosthetic vascular conduit for coupling to a valve having an annular portion includes a terminal collar member, radially expandable to receive the annular portion of the valve. The collar member includes a portion which is radially contractible to capture the annular portion of the valve to couple the valve to the conduit.