Guide Extension Catheter Coupling for Positioning Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices, such as guide catheters, face challenges in maintaining positioning during minimally-invasive cardiac interventions due to heart movement and other factors, leading to inefficient access to coronary arteries.
Innovation Solution
A guide extension catheter design that includes a distal sheath and a proximal shaft with a coupling member, allowing the distal sheath to extend beyond the guide catheter's distal end into the coronary artery, stabilizing the guide catheter's position and improving access for cardiac interventions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a guide catheter is used for accessing coronary arteries, then minimally-invasive access is achieved, but the guide catheter may dislodge due to heart movement
Solution Approach 1:
The guide catheter system is divided into two separate components: a guide catheter and a guide extension catheter. The guide extension catheter can be selectively advanced through the guide catheter to extend into the coronary artery, providing stable positioning while the guide catheter remains in the aorta. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's function.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide extension catheter acts as an intermediary element between the guide catheter and the coronary artery. It extends from the guide catheter into the coronary artery ostium, serving as a stable rail or track that prevents dislodgment while allowing treatment catheters to be advanced through it to the target lesion.
2Reliability
If the guide catheter is extended to improve positioning stability, then positioning stability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide extension catheter is designed to be nested within the guide catheter during storage and delivery. The guide extension catheter can be selectively advanced through the guide catheter's lumen, similar to nested dolls. This nesting approach allows the system to maintain a compact profile while providing extended functionality when needed, without permanently increasing the overall device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 5A~6B
AI summary
The present invention discloses a guide extension catheter, comprising: a distal sheath (102) having a proximal opening, a distal opening, and a central lumen extending therebetween; a proximal shaft (104) having an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the distal sheath (102), the proximal shaft (104) including a distal opening; and a coupling member (900, 1004) for securing the distal sheath (102) to the proximal shaft (1004), the coupling member (900,1004) including a distal portion fixedly attached to the distal sheath (1002) and a proximal portion disposed within the distal opening of the proximal shaft (104); and wherein the coupling member (900,1004) has two or more openings, holes (1010), or grooves (902) formed therein.