Heart Anchor Positioning With Tension Feedback for Ventricular Reshaping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing treatments for congestive heart failure, such as surgical interventions and drug therapies, are invasive and risky, while less traumatic therapies that effectively improve heart function and extend life remain a goal, particularly in reducing ventricular volume and wall stress.

Innovation Solution

A heart anchor positioning device with a main body, elongated shaft, and tension member is used to minimally invasively secure anchors on the heart's septum and external wall, featuring a tension indicating mechanism to control the applied force, and a dual-needle system for precise tissue penetration, allowing for reshaping of the ventricle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If surgical interventions are used to treat congestive heart failure, then heart function can be improved, but the treatment becomes invasive and risky

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheart function improvementVSAvoidinvasiveness and risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional surgical mechanical interventions with a minimally invasive delivery system that uses a catheter-based approach to implant the ventricular reconstruction device, substituting open surgical mechanics with percutaneous delivery mechanics

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a delivery catheter as an intermediary device that facilitates the implantation of the ventricular reconstruction device without requiring direct surgical access to the heart, thereby reducing invasiveness while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stress or pressure

If ventricular volume is reduced to improve heart function, then wall stress decreases, but the procedure complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewall stressVSAvoidprocedure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stress or pressureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ventricular reconstruction device is divided into multiple expandable cells or segments that can be independently controlled, allowing progressive volume reduction and simplifying the implantation procedure through staged deployment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The device incorporates dynamic expandability where the ventricular volume can be adjusted after implantation through controlled expansion of internal cells, allowing optimization of wall stress reduction without requiring complex pre-surgical planning

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Object-affected harmful factors

If anchors are positioned precisely on the heart walls, then tissue damage is minimized, but the positioning difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetissue damageVSAvoidpositioning difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The delivery system incorporates imaging or sensing feedback mechanisms that provide real-time information about anchor position relative to heart wall structures, enabling precise positioning while minimizing tissue damage through controlled deployment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary positioning and verification of anchor sites before actual tissue penetration, allowing optimization of anchor placement to minimize tissue damage while simplifying the overall positioning process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12582524B2Heart anchor positioning devices, methods, and systems for treatment of congestive heart failure and other conditions

Publication Date: 2026.03.24 BIOVENTRIX INC

AI summary

A heart anchor tensioning device includes a main body and an elongated shaft. A tension member or tether through a lumen of the elongated shaft allows the shaft to advance over the tension member and within a body while the main body is positioned outside of the body. The device includes an anchor coupling mechanism that is configured to engage a heart anchor and move the heart anchor into engagement with a first wall of the heart. The anchor coupling mechanism is to lock the heart anchor to inhibit proximal movement of the heart anchor along the tension member. The device further includes a tension indicating mechanism that provides an indication of a force being applied to the heart anchor by the device.