Externally Actuatable In-Graft Catheter Fixation for Stable Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheter fixation devices for intracardiac pumps are prone to migration due to patient movement, leading to mispositioning and potential damage, as they are traditionally secured externally to the skin, which is inefficient and unstable.
Innovation Solution
The development of externally actuatable catheter fixation devices that can be subcutaneously secured within a vascular graft or vein, utilizing self-expanding stents, inflatable balloons, or resilient/magnetic materials to stabilize the catheter relative to the cardiovascular system, allowing for efficient repositioning and stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If catheter fixation devices are secured externally to the skin, then the device structure is simple and ease of operation is maintained, but the catheter is prone to migration and stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device is nested within the vascular graft structure, with the graft serving as both the vascular conduit and the fixation mechanism. The graft's编织结构 provides radial expansion capability while maintaining a compact profile when collapsed, eliminating the need for separate external fixation components.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation device utilizes radial expansion parameter change to transition between a collapsed delivery state and an expanded fixation state. When collapsed, the device has a small profile for easy catheter delivery; when expanded against the vessel wall, it provides stable fixation, demonstrating parameter-based state transformation.
2Reliability
If catheter fixation devices are subcutaneously secured within a vascular graft, then catheter migration is reduced and stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device merges the vascular graft structure with the fixation mechanism itself. The graft's编织 structure serves dual purposes: as the vascular conduit and as the fixation element that expands against the vessel wall. This integration eliminates separate fixation components while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation device is designed to self-expand upon deployment within the vascular graft. The radial expansion mechanism automatically engages the vessel wall without requiring external actuation, allowing the device to secure itself through its own structural properties.
3Ease of operation
If externally actuatable catheter fixation devices are used, then ease of operation for repositioning is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device transitions from a static external fixation to a dynamic system that can be actuated to change its fixation state. The externally actuatable mechanism allows the device to transition between secured and unsecured states, enabling efficient repositioning while maintaining operational simplicity through remote actuation.
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 subcutaneous fixation reduces catheter migration and improves stability, enabling efficient repositioning and maintaining proper catheter positioning during patient movement, enhancing the clinical effectiveness of intracardiac pumps.
Implementation Method 1
The stent may be a self-expanding stent arranged to transition from the radially collapsed state to the radially expanded state when deployed from the sheath
Implementation Method 2
Alternatively, the stent may be expandable by an inflatable balloon
Implementation Method 3
the catheter fixation ring may be formed of a resilient material
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly includes a catheter surrounded by sheath for delivering a medical device into a cardiovascular system of a patient and a catheter fixation device at least partially deployable from the sheath and transitionable between a radially collapsed state and a radially expanded state. When the catheter fixation device is in the radially collapsed state, the catheter is movable through a conduit of a vessel, and when the catheter fixation device is deployed from the sheath and expanded to the radially expanded to be in contact with an inner wall of the vessel, the catheter is fixed relative to the conduit and relative to the cardiovascular system of the patient. A method of delivering and stabilizing a medical device within a cardiovascular system of a patient is also provided.