Expandable Impeller Catheter Pump Stabilization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanical circulatory support devices for acute heart failure, such as intra-aortic balloon pumps and rotary blood pumps, face challenges in providing reliable and efficient support due to the need for robust connections between motor and impeller components, and in achieving compact, efficient designs suitable for percutaneous delivery and high flow rates.
Innovation Solution
A catheter pump system with an expandable impeller assembly and a catheter body featuring a flexible middle section and harder end sections for stabilization, along with a robust mechanical interface between components, allows for secure and flexible connection and positioning across the aortic valve, enabling high flow rates and stability during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a robust mechanical connection is used between motor and impeller components, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter body is divided into distinct sections (expandable section with impeller, collapsible section, and rigid section with motor), allowing each component to be optimized independently while maintaining reliable connections through defined interfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The impeller assembly is nested within the expandable catheter section, which is in turn nested within the collapsible section, creating a compact hierarchical structure that maintains reliability while managing complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible connection is used between motor shaft and impeller, then adaptability is improved, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter transitions from a rigid configuration during delivery to a flexible, expandable configuration during operation, allowing dynamic adaptation to anatomical structures while maintaining motor-impeller connection integrity through the expandable section design
3Ease of operation
If a compact design is used for percutaneous delivery, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional components (impeller, catheter sections, motor) are nested within each other in a collapsed configuration for percutaneous delivery, then deployed in sequence to provide complex functionality through a simple delivery process
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into deliverable sections that can be advanced through the vasculature separately and then assembled or expanded at the target location, simplifying delivery while maintaining functional complexity
4Productivity
If high flow rates are achieved, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses fluid dynamics and pressure gradients to achieve high flow rates, leveraging the natural flow of blood through the expandable impeller section rather than requiring complex mechanical pumping mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter pump includes a catheter body having at least one lumen therethrough and comprising a distal end and a proximal end. An expandable impeller assembly includes an expandable impeller and an expandable cannula coupled to the distal end of the catheter body and housing the expandable impeller, the expandable cannula comprising a substantially straight segment having a distal inlet and a proximal outlet, the substantially straight segment configured to straddle an aortic valve. The catheter body comprises a proximal vessel contact zone and a distal vessel contact zone that are each proximal to the substantially straight segment, the proximal vessel contact zone and distal vessel contact zone configured to provide a force against an aortic arch to stabilize the expandable impeller assembly across the aortic valve.