Expandable Member for Secure Vascular Obstruction Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vascular obstruction removal systems risk dislodging obstructions, leading to complications such as stroke or heart attack, as the obstructions may not be securely removed from the body.
Innovation Solution
An obstruction removal system comprising a guide catheter, a guide wire with a stentriever, and an expandable member that transitions between contracted and expanded states to securely engage and remove obstructions, utilizing locking members to couple the expandable member to the guide wire or guide catheter, ensuring safe extraction of the obstruction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the obstruction is removed using existing systems, then the removal process is simple, but the obstruction may dislodge causing complications such as stroke or heart attack
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable member is nested within the guide catheter and guide wire assembly. When deployed, the expandable member surrounds and secures the obstruction and stentriever, creating a nested structure that prevents dislodgement while allowing controlled removal through the guide catheter.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable member transitions between a contracted state for insertion and an expanded state for securing the obstruction. This dynamic transformation allows the system to adapt its configuration based on the operational phase, providing security during removal while maintaining simplicity in the removal process itself.
2Reliability
If the expandable member is used to secure the obstruction, then the risk of dislodgement is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable member is divided into multiple segments or struts that can be independently deployed and secured. This segmentation allows the complex securing function to be achieved through simpler, modular components that engage with the obstruction in a controlled manner.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable member acts as an intermediary element between the guide wire/stentriever and the obstruction. It provides a secure interface that transfers forces safely, preventing direct contact that could cause dislodgement while simplifying the overall removal mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If the expandable member transitions from expanded to contracted state, then the obstruction can be removed, but the locking mechanism must be disengaged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a complex active unlocking mechanism, the system uses a passive inversion approach. The expandable member is collapsed in the opposite direction of its deployment, and the locking members are designed to automatically disengage when the member is compressed below a certain threshold, simplifying the removal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking members are designed to automatically engage and disengage based on the position and force applied to the expandable member. The system serves itself by using the mechanical action of deploying and collapsing the expandable member to trigger locking and unlocking without requiring separate control mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
In embodiments of an obstruction removal device, system, and/or method, an expandable member is configured to be slidably coupled to a guide wire. The expandable member is configured to surround at least a portion of an obstruction captured by a stentriever as the expandable member transitions from the expanded state to the contracted state, i.e., when the guide wire is removed from a vasculature to remove the stentriever and the obstruction from the vasculature. A first locking member is located at a base of the expandable member. The first locking member is configured to engage a second locking member that is located on the guide wire, the stentriever, or an inner surface of a guide catheter, thereby coupling the expandable member to the guide wire, the stentriever, or the inner surface of the guide catheter when the expandable member is deployed within the vasculature.