Guide Extension Catheter Shuttle Support for Two-Stage Deployment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional guide catheters lack adequate back support during interventional procedures, risking dislodgement from coronary artery ostia, potentially causing tissue damage or disrupting blood flow, especially in cases of difficult stenosis or radial interventions.

Innovation Solution

A guide extension catheter assembly comprising a tubular member and a support device with a shuttle member that allows for a two-stage deployment, providing additional support and stability to the guide catheter, facilitating its advancement through tortuous vasculature while minimizing the risk of dislodgement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the guide catheter is advanced through tortuous vasculature to access intravascular targets, then the ability to reach difficult stenosis is improved, but the guide catheter may dislodge from the coronary artery ostium causing tissue damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to difficult stenosisVSAvoidtissue damage from dislodgement

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The guide catheter system is divided into two segments: a first guide catheter for initial access and a second guide catheter (guide extension catheter) for providing support during difficult interventions. This segmentation allows the second catheter to be deployed only when needed to provide back support, preventing dislodgement while maintaining the ability to access difficult stenosis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The second guide catheter acts as an intermediary support structure deployed within the lumen of the first guide catheter. It provides the necessary back support to prevent the first guide catheter from dislodging during forceful advancement through difficult stenosis, while still allowing the interventional device to be delivered through the system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If deep seating the guide catheter is performed to prevent dislodgement, then the stability of the guide catheter is improved, but the risk of damaging the coronary artery wall increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability of guide catheterVSAvoidcoronary artery wall damage

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The second guide catheter is pre-configured to be deployed within the first guide catheter before attempting forceful advancement through difficult stenosis. This preliminary deployment of the support catheter prevents the need for deep seating of the first catheter, thereby avoiding damage to the coronary artery wall while still providing stability during the intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Strength

If a guide extension catheter is deployed to provide additional support, then the back support for the guide catheter is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveback support for guide catheterVSAvoidcatheter assembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The second guide catheter is designed to be nested within the lumen of the first guide catheter. The first guide catheter has a lumen that receives the second guide catheter, creating a nested configuration. This nesting approach provides the necessary back support while minimizing the increase in device complexity by utilizing the existing space within the first catheter.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The system allows for dynamic deployment of the second guide catheter based on the procedural needs. The second catheter can be advanced through the lumen of the first catheter when back support is needed, and can be removed or repositioned as required. This dynamic capability provides strong back support when needed while avoiding the complexity of a permanently complex device structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12369895B2Guide extension catheter assemblies, systems and methods of use

Publication Date: 2025.07.29 MEDTRONIC VASCULAR INC

AI summary

A guide extension catheter assembly including a guide extension catheter and a support device. The guide extension catheter includes a shaft and a tubular member. The support device includes a push member and a shuttle member. The guide extension catheter assembly is configured to selectively provide a delivery state in which at least a portion of the shuttle member is disposed within the lumen, a leading end of the shuttle member is distal a distal end of the tubular member, and the shuttle member is directly, physically connected to the tubular member. In the delivery state, a longitudinal distal force applied to the push member is transferred to the tubular member as a longitudinal distal force via the shuttle member. The guide extension catheter assemblies of the present disclosure can promote a two stage guide extension catheter deployment.