Expandable Sheath Curved Support Rods Retraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transcatheter delivery systems face issues with stuck or unsmooth retraction of prosthetic implants, leading to potential damage and complications during heart valve repairs or replacements.
Innovation Solution
An expandable sheath with a tube structure featuring support rods and connecting strips that converge and flare, allowing for smooth retraction of prosthetic implants by assuming a stable arc shape, thereby preventing damage and improving surgical success rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the prosthetic implant is retracted into the sheath, then the implant can be repositioned or removed, but the retraction process may become stuck or unsmooth causing surgical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The support rods are designed with curved extension paths that undulate in the circumferential direction, forming arc shapes during retraction. This curvature allows the support rods to smoothly guide the prosthetic implant into the sheath, preventing sticking and ensuring reliable retraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The support rods transition between different configurations (converged and flared) during the retraction process. This dynamic behavior allows the sheath to adapt its shape to facilitate smooth implant retraction while maintaining structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If the support rods are arranged with curved connecting strips, then the retraction smoothness is improved, but the structural complexity of the sheath increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sheath structure is segmented into multiple support rods connected by connecting strips. Each support rod with its curved extension path acts as an independent unit that contributes to the overall retraction smoothness while maintaining manufacturability through modular construction.
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable sheath for transcatheter delivery system is disclosed, including a tube having opposing distal and proximal ends in its axial direction. The distal end is provided with a plurality of support rods arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the tube, and the support rods extending axially and having relative converged and flared configurations. More than two connecting strips are provided in the axial direction between two adjacent support rods. The connecting strip extends in a curved path and undulates in the circumferential direction, and undulation degrees of the connecting strips increase sequentially from the proximal end to the distal end. The connecting strip has a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion respectively connected with two adjacent support rods in the circumferential direction, and the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are located at different axial levels of the tube.