Foldable Sealing Member for Kidney Stone Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical procedures for removing kidney stones, such as shock wave lithotripsy, transurethral lithotripsy, and percutaneous nephrolithotomy, face challenges like high recurrence rates, long procedure times, and potential patient complications, including ischemia, obstruction, and infection, due to difficulties in accurately capturing and removing stones.
Innovation Solution
A device with an elongated member and a foldable sealing member that can be positioned in the urinary tract to draw stones into a retrieval space using suction, allowing for efficient capture and retention of stones while minimizing fluid ejection, thereby reducing the need for repeated procedures and complications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If shock wave lithotripsy is used to break stones into smaller pieces, then the procedure is simple and non-invasive, but the stone-free rate is low and recurrence rate is high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the stone fragments from the body through a retrieval device that actively sucks them out through the urethra and bladder, rather than relying on natural passage. This extraction mechanism ensures complete removal of fragments while maintaining the non-invasive advantage of ESWL.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges ESWL stone fragmentation with active suction retrieval in a single integrated treatment approach. The combination allows stones to be broken into pieces and then completely removed through the urethra, achieving high stone-free rates while maintaining procedural simplicity.
2Reliability
If transurethral lithotripsy with basket device is used to grasp and remove stones, then smaller stones can be removed, but the procedure time is long and multiple operations are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses hydraulic suction pressure to actively draw stones and fluid through the retrieval device. This pneumatic-hydraulic mechanism enables continuous removal of multiple stone fragments in a single procedure, dramatically reducing treatment time compared to manual basket grasping.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction device operates continuously to remove stone fragments as they are generated or as they appear in the urinary tract. This continuous action allows complete stone removal in one procedure rather than requiring multiple discrete grasping and removal operations.
3Reliability
If percutaneous nephrolithotomy is used for larger calculus, then effective treatment is achieved, but patient complications such as infection and ischemia increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical incision and nephrostomy approach with a suction-based retrieval system that works through the natural urinary tract. This substitution eliminates the need for skin incisions and renal punctures, thereby preventing complications like infection and ischemia while maintaining treatment effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses fluid suction as an intermediary mechanism to remove stones without direct mechanical contact or incision. The suction device acts as a mediator that extracts stones through the urinary tract, avoiding the harmful effects of surgical penetration and reducing patient complications.
4Reliability
If conventional procedures are used to remove stones, then stones can be removed, but the access route is narrow and long making accurate capture difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs a flexible, dynamically adaptable retrieval device that can navigate the narrow and long urethral passage. The device's flexibility and ability to conform to the anatomical pathway enable accurate stone capture despite the challenging access route, while the suction mechanism ensures reliable stone retrieval.
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 device enables efficient retrieval of kidney stones with reduced recurrence rates and minimizes patient complications by effectively capturing stones in a single procedure, improving the 'stone-free rate' and reducing procedural time.
Implementation Method 1
the sealing member is shiftable between: an unfolded spread position in which the part is unfolded and spread out with the outer surface of the one part of the sealing member in sealing contact with the inner surface surrounding the lumen of the elongated member
Implementation Method 2
when the plunger is axially moved in the proximal direction to draw the calculus and fluid in the lumen of the living body into the retrieval space
Implementation Method 3
a folded position in which the one part is folded when the plunger is axially moved in the distal direction to permit fluid in the retrieval space to pass the foldable sealing member
Data Source
AI summary
A device for retrieving calculus in a lumen of a living body includes an elongated member possessing an outer dimension configured to be positioned in the lumen of the living body, wherein the tubular body includes an inlet, an outlet and a retrieval space in the interior at a position between the inlet and the outlet. A foldable sealing member is positioned in the tubular body interior and is axially movable in distal and proximal directions, and a plunger is connected to the sealing member so that axial movement of the plunger axially moves the sealing member in the interior of the tubular body. The foldable sealing member is folded into a folded configuration when the plunger is axially moved in a distal direction toward the inlet and being spread out in a spread-out configuration when the plunger is axially moved in a proximal direction away from the inlet.