Flexible Tip Dilator Material Segmentation for Vessel Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional dilators with stiff and sharp tips cause tissue damage and vessel injury due to manufacturing variations and stiffness, leading to kinking and flare issues during vascular access procedures.

Innovation Solution

A flexible tip dilator is designed with a tapered distal region composed of multiple materials, where a stiffer polyolefin material is combined with a more flexible thermoplastic elastomer like ethyl-vinyl acetate, allowing for improved flexibility and reduced risk of vessel damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the dilator tip is made of stiff material (polyethylene) to maintain structural integrity, then the dilator can push through tissue effectively, but the tip becomes sharp and causes vessel wall damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidvessel wall damage

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The dilator is divided into distinct material zones: a proximal region made of stiff polyethylene for structural integrity, and a distal tip region made of flexible thermoplastic elastomer for tissue safety. This segmentation allows each region to have optimized properties for its specific function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the dilator have different material properties: the proximal region uses stiff polyethylene while the distal tip uses flexible thermoplastic elastomer. This local quality variation ensures the tip is flexible enough to prevent vessel damage while the body maintains structural strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Stability of the object's composition

If the dilator tip is made of stiff material to maintain shape, then the dilator can be inserted with control, but the tip cannot flex around tight bends causing guidewire kinking

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetip shape stabilityVSAvoidflexibility around bends

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The dilator is segmented into a proximal region with stable polyethylene material and a distal tip region with flexible thermoplastic elastomer material, allowing the tip to adapt to bends while the body maintains shape stability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The material properties change along the length of the dilator, with the distal tip having lower modulus and higher flexibility parameters compared to the proximal region, enabling adaptation to anatomical variations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Force

If the dilator tip is made loose around the guidewire to minimize drag, then insertion force is reduced, but the tip catches tissue and causes damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinsertion forceVSAvoidtissue catching

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The distal tip region uses flexible thermoplastic elastomer material that conforms smoothly to the guidewire, minimizing drag while preventing tissue catching through its flexibility and ability to adapt to surrounding structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9808598B2Flexible tip dilator

Publication Date: 2017.11.07 TELEFLEX MEDICAL LLC

AI summary

A flexible tip dilator is disclosed. The flexible tip dilator includes a hollow elongated tubular member with a proximal region and a tapered distal region. The tapered distal region has three regions with a first region made from at least a first material but not a second material and a third region made from at least the second material but not the first material. The second region is includes both the first and second materials overlapping one another.