Expandable Structure for Arterial Compliance via Asymmetric Shape Change
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aortic stiffness and decreased arterial compliance due to aging or pathological changes lead to increased systolic blood pressure and decreased diastolic blood pressure, placing a greater load on the heart and reducing cardiac output, with existing treatments having limited impact and undesirable side effects.
Innovation Solution
An expandable structure is positioned within the artery to change its cross-sectional shape between diastole and systole, increasing compliance by allowing the artery to expand under systolic pressure without stretching the arterial wall, thereby restoring Windkessel function and improving blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If medications are used to relax arteries and moderate blood pressure, then arterial compliance is improved, but side effects increase and treatment effectiveness is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pharmacological treatment with a mechanical device (expandable structure) that physically alters arterial geometry. The device uses mechanical forces to change the cross-sectional shape of the artery, substituting chemical medication with a physical solution that avoids systemic side effects while directly addressing arterial stiffness at the target site.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable structure acts as an intermediary between the arterial wall and the blood flow. It mediates the interaction by providing a controlled interface that allows the artery to deform in a specific non-circular shape, thereby improving compliance without requiring systemic medication that affects the entire body.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the artery is allowed to expand under systolic pressure, then compliance increases, but the arterial wall may be overstretched or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable structure is designed to be dynamic rather than static. It allows controlled deformation of the arterial wall during the cardiac cycle, adapting its shape between diastole and systole. This dynamic behavior enables compliance improvement while preventing excessive stretching by providing structural guidance for the deformation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The device utilizes flexible structural elements that can deform with the arterial wall while maintaining structural integrity. The expandable structure acts as a flexible template that guides the arterial wall deformation, allowing compliance improvement without compromising wall strength or causing damage.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the expandable structure changes the cross-sectional shape to non-circular, then compliance increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device intentionally employs asymmetric, non-circular cross-sectional shapes to improve compliance. By breaking the symmetry of the traditional circular stent design, the device creates differential deformation characteristics that enhance the Windkessel effect. The asymmetric geometry allows different portions of the artery to deform at different rates, improving overall compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable structure is divided into multiple segments or struts that can independently deform. This segmentation allows the device to achieve complex non-circular shapes through simpler modular components, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining the desired geometric complexity for compliance improvement.
4Volume of stationary object
If the artery volume changes are increased, then Windkessel function is restored, but the systolic pressure may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device exploits the periodic nature of the cardiac cycle to achieve volume changes. By allowing the artery to deform differently during systole and diastole, the device creates a periodic volume change that enhances the Windkessel effect. The non-circular cross-sectional shape enables greater volume change during the cardiac cycle without proportionally increasing systolic pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The device changes the geometric parameters of the artery, specifically the cross-sectional shape from circular to non-circular. This parameter change allows for greater volume change during the cardiac cycle while distributing the pressure load differently, thereby improving Windkessel function without excessively increasing systolic pressure.
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
The solution significantly increases arterial compliance, reducing systolic pressure and increasing diastolic pressure, which reduces the heart's workload and improves tissue perfusion, providing a more effective treatment for aortic stiffness without the limitations of current therapies.
Implementation Method 1
the mesh allows the wall to deform in response to systolic pressure such that the wall assumes a second cross-sectional shape
Data Source
AI summary
The present technology relates to devices for treating arteries. In several embodiments, for example, the present technology comprises an expandable structure configured to be intravascularly positioned within a lumen of the artery at a treatment site, where the artery has a substantially circular cross-sectional shape at the treatment site prior to deployment of the expandable structure therein. When the expandable structure is in an expanded state and positioned in apposition with the arterial wall at the treatment site under diastolic pressure, the expandable structure may force the artery into a non-circular cross-sectional shape. A cross-sectional area of the artery in the non-circular cross-sectional shape may be less than a cross-sectional area of the artery in the substantially circular cross-sectional shape.