Expandable Sheath for Prosthetic Implant Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheaths used for retracting prosthetic implants during heart valve procedures often experience smoothness issues during the retraction process, leading to potential complications if the implant is improperly positioned.
Innovation Solution
A sheath with an expandable section featuring primary and secondary expandable areas, connected by strips, which allows for different flare ranges to conform to the prosthetic implant's profile, improving the smoothness of retraction by guiding the implant into the sheath.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional sheath configuration is used for retracting the prosthetic implant, then the retraction function is provided, but the retraction operation is stuck and unsmooth
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath is divided into multiple functional sections: a body portion and an expandable section with primary and secondary expandable areas. This segmentation allows different parts of the sheath to perform specialized functions during retraction, with the expandable sections providing guiding surfaces that facilitate smooth implant recapture while the body portion maintains structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath incorporates an expandable section that can dynamically change its configuration between compressed and expanded states. This dynamic capability allows the sheath to adapt its shape during the retraction process, providing optimal guiding surfaces for the prosthetic implant and enabling smooth, reliable retraction operations
2Adaptability or versatility
If the sheath uses a single expandable area configuration, then the structure is simple, but it cannot conform to the prosthetic implant profile effectively
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the sheath are given different properties and functions. The expandable section contains primary and secondary expandable areas with different flare angles, allowing each local region to conform to specific portions of the prosthetic implant profile. This localized specialization enables effective conformity without requiring the entire sheath to be complex
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath structure nests multiple expandable areas within each other, with the primary expandable area and secondary expandable area arranged in a nested configuration. This nesting allows the sheath to maintain a compact form when not in use while providing multiple conforming surfaces when expanded, achieving adaptability without excessive complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A sheath facilitating retraction of prosthetic implant is provided. The sheath includes a tubular body, and the distal end of the body is connected with an expandable section. The expandable section has relative converged configuration and flared configuration and includes a primary expandable area and a secondary expandable area. The primary expandable area includes a plurality of first expandable pieces arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the body. The secondary expandable area includes a plurality of second expandable pieces arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the body, and all the second expandable pieces include two alternating groups consisting of a first group formed by further extending the first expandable pieces to the distal end and a second group formed by connecting strips wound between two adjacent first expandable pieces.