Customizable Flow Diverter Length Trimming for Aneurysm Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow diverters for treating cerebral aneurysms face challenges due to the complex neural vasculature, requiring a wide variety of sizes and lengths, leading to economic burdens and sub-optimal surgical outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A customizable flow diverter system that allows for adjustable length selection by incorporating a deployment wire that terminates within the flow diverter, enabling users to trim it to a desired length, and includes a template with graduation markings for precise cutting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wide variety of flow diverter sizes and lengths are maintained in stock, then the likelihood of having a properly-sized flow diverter for any given patient increases, but the economic burden and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flow diverter is designed as a modular system where the tubular member can be segmented by making incisions at desired locations. This allows a single long flow diverter to be divided into multiple shorter segments during the procedure, replacing the need to stock multiple pre-fabricated sizes. The segmentation principle enables customization while reducing SKU complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static pre-fabricated flow diverters with fixed lengths to a dynamic system where the length is determined at the time of use. The tubular member is provided in a longer form that can be dynamically shortened by making incisions, allowing adaptation to various patient needs without maintaining multiple static inventory options.
2Ease of manufacture
If pre-fabricated flow diverters with fixed lengths are used, then manufacturing and inventory management are simplified, but waste increases when the flow diverter length does not optimally match the patient's anatomy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by providing the tubular member in a longer form that encompasses the maximum possible length needed. The excess length is not waste at this stage but rather a reservoir that can be trimmed to the exact required length during the procedure, ensuring optimal matching without material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the length parameter of the flow diverter from a fixed value determined during manufacturing to a variable value determined during the medical procedure. This is achieved by allowing incisions to be made at different positions along the tubular member, thereby changing the effective length parameter to match patient-specific requirements and minimize waste.
3Device complexity
If a single long flow diverter is used for all patients, then inventory management is simplified, but the ability to achieve precise length customization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary tool or method for precise measurement and marking before making incisions. This intermediary step ensures that when the tubular member is cut to the required length, the precision is maintained despite starting with a single long form. The intermediary mechanism could include measurement markers, alignment guides, or controlled cutting mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Neurovascular flow diverter and delivery systems, and methods of using the same are described herein. The systems can include a customizing member including an introducer sheath, a catheter, a deployable flow diverter that can be contained in the introducer sheath or in the catheter, a core wire, and one or several deployment features coupled to the core wire and engaging the flow diverter. The customizing member includes a tubing extending along and around a distal portion of the introducer sheath. This tubing is cuttable and contains a distal end of the flow diverter. The length of the flow diverter can be customized by cutting through the tubing and the therein contained flow diverter.