Medical Guidewires with Hyperbolic Taper for Tortuous Vessels

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Medical guidewires face challenges in navigating tortuous blood vessels, particularly in the brain, due to their winding paths, which complicates reaching target locations during procedures like stroke interventions, as existing guidewires struggle with torque transmission, tip flexibility, and pushability.

Innovation Solution

The development of guidewires with a hyperbolic taper and integrated guide structures comprising a corewire and overtube, along with flexible polymer tips that can be steered by blood flow, enhances reach and maneuverability within vessels by providing torque coupling, lateral motion, and flow-driven tip orientation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If guidewires are made more flexible to navigate tortuous vessels, then tip flexibility and maneuverability improve, but torque transmission capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetip flexibilityVSAvoidtorque transmission

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The guidewire is divided into multiple sections with different flexibility characteristics. The proximal portion has higher flexibility for navigation, while the distal portion maintains sufficient stiffness for torque transmission and device delivery, resolving the contradiction between tip flexibility and torque transmission capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different sections of the guidewire are assigned different mechanical properties. The proximal section is designed to be more flexible to navigate tortuous vessels, while the distal section maintains higher stiffness to transmit torque effectively, allowing each portion to optimize its function locally

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Strength

If guidewires are made stiffer to improve torque transmission, then torque transmission capability improves, but ability to navigate tortuous vessels deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetorque transmissionVSAvoidability to navigate tortuous vessels

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The guidewire structure is segmented into proximal and distal portions with differentiated stiffness. The proximal portion is more compliant for navigating complex vascular anatomy, while the distal portion provides adequate stiffness for torque transmission, resolving the trade-off between navigability and torque capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guidewire exhibits spatially varying mechanical properties where the proximal section is designed for flexibility to conform to tortuous vessel paths, while the distal section maintains higher rigidity to transmit rotational forces effectively to the tip

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Length of moving object

If corewire extends longer from overtube to increase reach, then distal reach improves, but torque coupling stability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedistal reachVSAvoidtorque coupling stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The torque coupling mechanism is pre-configured with the overtube and corewire before the procedure. This preliminary coupling ensures stable torque transmission while allowing the corewire to extend the necessary distance for reaching target locations, resolving the contradiction between reach and stability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20230321408A1Medical guidewires for tortuous vessels

Publication Date: 2023.10.12 WORLD VASCULAR INC

AI summary

Three groups of guidewire embodiments are described with particularly suitable structures for navigating circuitous vessels, especially blood vessels of the brain. Some of the guidewires have a hyperbolic taper that provides desired flexibility. In some embodiments, an integrated guide structure provides for extension in the blood vessel of a corewire to provide for extended reach of the guidewire. In further embodiments, the guidewire has a flexible tip that can be guided directly by the flow in the vessel.