Heart Implant Anchoring Cage Controlled Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heart implants face challenges in controlling the expansion of strip tips during implantation, which can lead to uncontrolled expansion and potential damage to the myocardium or pulmonary vessels, especially when using superelastic materials like nitinol.
Innovation Solution
A heart implant with a tubular attachment element and an expandable anchoring cage formed by split strips, where the strip tips are initially bundled and restrained by a fixation means for controlled release from a catheter, allowing for precise positioning and expansion within the heart, using a releasing mechanism to disengage the fixation means and allow the cage to self-expand.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the strip tips are released first out of the catheter, then the implantation process is simplified and positioning is improved, but uncontrolled expansion may occur causing damage to myocardium or pulmonary vessels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-bundling the strip tips together before implantation and providing fixation means to restrain them during delivery. This preliminary restraint prevents uncontrolled expansion and potential damage to surrounding tissues when the strip tips are released first from the catheter, while still allowing simplified implantation positioning.
2Reliability
If the anchoring cage is expanded for fixation, then the implant is securely fixed to the atrium, but uncontrolled expansion may cause harmful effects
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation means and bundled strip tips are prepared in advance to control the expansion process. The strips are pre-constrained in a compressed state during delivery, and only expand to their fixation configuration after being properly positioned in the atrium, preventing harmful uncontrolled expansion while ensuring reliable fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation means act as an intermediary mechanism between the compressed strips and their expanded fixation state. This intermediary component controls the expansion process, allowing the strips to transition from a constrained delivery state to a stable fixed state without uncontrolled expansion that could cause damage.
3Reliability
If the strip tips are bundled and restrained during delivery, then uncontrolled expansion is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixation means with the strip tips themselves, integrating the restraint function into the existing cage structure. This combining approach provides the necessary control and safety features without adding separate complex systems, as the fixation means are incorporated as part of the overall implant device.
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 controlled release and expansion of the anchoring cage improve the controllability and safety of the implantation process, reducing the risk of uncontrolled expansion and enhancing the positioning of the implant within the heart, thereby effectively addressing heart valve insufficiency by preventing blood regurgitation.
Implementation Method 1
constraining the strip tips of the cage forming strips from uncontrolled expansion, particularly by bundling together by using the fixation means
Implementation Method 2
which can lead to uncontrolled expansion and potential damage to the myocardium or pulmonary vessels, especially when using superelastic materials like nitinol
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a heart implant comprising an attachment element (2), particularly a tubular attachment element for attaching a sheath (4), preferably having a sheath (4) being coaxially positioned around at least a part of the attachment element (2) and fixed to it, the attachment element (2) having a lower end (2a) and an upper end (2b) and several strips (3) at least at one of the ends, preferably being split into several strips at least at one of the ends (2b), preferably only at the upper end (2b), the strips (3) forming an expandable anchoring cage, particularly for fixing the heart implant to a lumen of the heart, preferably the atrium, by surface contact between an exterior surface of the expandable cage and an interior lumen surface, the strips (3) of the anchoring cage ending in respective strip tips (7) at the end of their extension in the compressed state, particularly during delivery through a catheter (1), the strip tips (7) forming the distal or proximal end of the implant, particularly a distal end being released first out of the catheter, wherein the implant furthermore comprises a fixation means (5, 6) to which each respective strip tip (7) is releasable fixed, preferably furthermore comprising a releasing means (9) for releasing the connection between fixation means (5, 6) and strip tips (7).