Guidewire Extension Alignment Device for Secure Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The difficulty in attaching an extension wire to a guidewire or other working wire, especially due to their small diameters and potential low-light conditions, increases the time and dexterity required during medical procedures.
Innovation Solution
The use of a guidewire extension kit that includes an elongate extension wire with a funnel portion and anti-migration features, such as a resilient member, to facilitate alignment and secure attachment of the guidewire to the extension wire, allowing for easier handling and maintenance of the guidewire's position during procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an extension wire is attached to a guidewire to enable holding in place during device removal and insertion, then the guidewire can be securely held during procedures, but the attachment process becomes difficult and time-consuming due to small diameters and low-light conditions
Solution Approach 1:
A alignment device serves as an intermediary tool between the operator and the guidewire-extension wire assembly. The device includes a body with a lumen that receives the extension wire, a funnel portion that guides the guidewire into proper alignment, and a cutout that provides visual access to the attachment site. This intermediary device simplifies the attachment process by providing mechanical guidance and visual feedback, resolving the contradiction between secure attachment and time efficiency.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the extension wire diameter is reduced to match small guidewire diameters (as small as 0.006 inches), then compatibility with small guidewires is achieved, but the difficulty of attachment increases due to the small hypotube opening (as small as 0.010 inches)
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device acts as a mediator that bridges the size mismatch between the small guidewire and the even smaller hypotube opening. The funnel portion with its tapered wall creates a gradual transition from a larger opening to the small lumen, allowing the operator to easily insert the guidewire without requiring precise manual alignment, thus maintaining compatibility with small guidewires while improving attachment ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment device pre-positions and pre-aligns the extension wire within its lumen before the guidewire insertion step. The cutout provides preliminary visual guidance to the operator about the correct insertion path. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for difficult real-time manual alignment during the actual attachment, resolving the contradiction between small size compatibility and attachment ease.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hypotube opening is made small to accommodate thin guidewires, then smaller guidewires can be attached, but the precision required for alignment increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment device serves as a precision-matching intermediary that translates rough external alignment into precise internal alignment. The funnel portion with its specific taper angle and dimensions provides mechanical constraints that automatically guide the guidewire into the correct position relative to the small hypotube opening, eliminating the need for high-precision manual alignment while maintaining compatibility with various guidewire sizes.
Data Source
AI summary
In various examples, an apparatus facilitates attachment of an extension wire to a guidewire. The apparatus includes a body portion including a lumen sized to accommodate a distal end of the extension wire therein. A cutout is defined within a portion of a sidewall of the body portion, the cutout allowing access to the lumen. A funnel portion is disposed within a distal end of the body portion and includes an opening in the distal end of the body portion. The funnel portion includes a tapered wall converging from the opening to the lumen, wherein, with the distal end of the extension wire disposed within the lumen, the funnel portion facilitates alignment and attachment of a proximal end of the guidewire with the distal end of the extension wire. In other examples, a system or a method facilitates attachment of an extension wire to a guidewire.