Guide Wire Coil Design for Stent Delivery Flexibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional guide wires used for delivering stents have impaired flexibility due to the inclusion of press and abutting members, making it difficult to deploy stents in meandering blood vessels.

Innovation Solution

A guide wire design featuring a core shaft with an external coil arrangement, including a first coil portion for pushing the stent and a second coil portion for retracting it, maintains flexibility by using coil configurations for both functions, allowing for effective stent delivery to the end of meandering blood vessels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If press member and abutting member are provided in the guide wire, then the stent can be pushed and drawn back, but the flexibility of the guide wire is impaired

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestent pushing and drawing back capabilityVSAvoidguide wire flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the stent pushing function and stent drawing back function into a single integrated external coil arrangement. The coil structure performs both functions through its mechanical interaction with the stent during forward and backward movements, eliminating the need for separate press members and abutting members, thereby maintaining guide wire flexibility while achieving both operational functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The external coil arrangement serves multiple functions: it acts as both the pushing mechanism (when compressed to push the stent forward) and the drawing back mechanism (when expanded to engage friction with the stent for retrieval). This multi-functional design resolves the contradiction by consolidating multiple operations into a single flexible component.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If press member and abutting member are provided in the guide wire, then the stent can be delivered and retrieved, but the guide wire cannot reach the end of meandering blood vessels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestent delivery and retrieval functionVSAvoidguide wire reachability in meandering vessels
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a flexible coil structure as the external arrangement, which can bend and conform to the meandering geometry of blood vessels. This flexible coil design allows the guide wire to navigate complex vascular paths while still providing the necessary mechanical functions for stent delivery and retrieval, resolving the contradiction between operational capability and reachability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Ease of operation

If multiple members are provided for pushing and drawing back stent, then the stent can be controlled, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestent position controlVSAvoidnumber of components in guide wire
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple functional members (press member and abutting member) into a single external coil arrangement. This consolidation reduces the number of discrete components while maintaining the ability to control stent position through coordinated compression and expansion of the coil structure during delivery and retrieval operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 guide wire enables both pushing and retracting of stents with maintained flexibility, facilitating precise placement and retrieval of stents in complex vascular structures.

Implementation Method 1

the stent can be drawn back by frictional force between the second coil portion and the inner peripheral surface of the stent

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3011991B1Guide wire
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 PENTAS INC
  • EP3011991B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3011991B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP3011991B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A guide wire (1,2,3,4,5) includes a core shaft 10, a first coil portion (12, 22) that abuts against a rear end of a stent 6 inside a catheter 7, and a second coil portion (14, 24) that is positioned on a distal end side of the first coil portion and that abuts against the stent from the inside of the stent.