Guidewire Coating with Interlayer Voids for Enhanced Flexibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional guidewires with a coated coil body are difficult to curve due to the rigidity imposed by the coating, which limits their ability to follow complex blood vessel paths.
Innovation Solution
A guidewire design featuring a coating portion formed by stacking multiple films with voids between them, allowing for enhanced flexibility and bendability, enabling the coil body to be easily curved while maintaining the coating's strength and slidability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the surface of the coil body is covered with a coating, then the guidewire gains sliding ability within the blood vessel, but the coil body becomes difficult to curve
Solution Approach 1:
The coating is divided into multiple discrete layers (first coating layer, second coating layer, third coating layer) rather than applying a single continuous coating. This segmentation allows each layer to perform different functions: the first layer provides sliding ability, while the second and third layers provide structural support and curvability, resolving the contradiction between sliding ability and ease of curving.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the coating have different properties. The first coating layer has low friction coefficients for sliding, while the second and third layers have higher strength and stiffness for maintaining shape. This local differentiation of material properties allows the coating to simultaneously provide sliding ability and curvability.
2Strength
If a coating is applied to the coil body, then the guidewire structure is complete and protected, but the flexibility and bendability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-layer coating structure allows for dynamic response to bending forces. The thinner first layer flexes more easily, while the thicker second and third layers provide progressive structural support. This dynamic layering maintains flexibility while building up strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating uses composite material structure with multiple layers of different thicknesses and potentially different material compositions. This composite approach combines materials with different mechanical properties to achieve both strength and flexibility that cannot be obtained with a single material.
Data Source
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AI summary
A guidewire in which a surface of a coil body is covered with a coating portion and the coil body (guidewire) can be easily curved is provided. In a coil-type guidewire (1), a coating portion (10) is formed by stacking a plurality of films (10a, 10b), a lowermost layer film (10a) of the coating portion (10) is arranged to come between wires (7) of the coil body (6), and a void (20) is formed between the lowermost layer film. and a film (10b) disposed above the lowermost layer film. By forming such a void (20), it is possible to make the coating portion (10) easily bent and to improve flexibility of the coating portion (10). As a result, it is possible to provide the guidewire (1) in which the coil body (6) is covered with the coating portion (10) and the coil body (6) (the guidewire (1)) can be easily curved.