Heart Implant Split-Merge Cage for Catheter Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heart implants are not flexible enough to be easily pushed through a catheter and navigate the curved internal pathways of the heart, limiting their implantation method and effectiveness in reducing blood regurgitation due to insufficient flexibility.
Innovation Solution
The heart implant features a tubular attachment element with strips that are split and merged multiple times, creating thinner branches with higher flexibility, allowing the implant to be pushed through a catheter and expand within the heart to reduce valve insufficiency by forming a mesh-like cage that contacts the atrium's interior surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the implant structure is made rigid to maintain stability in the heart, then fixation reliability is improved, but flexibility for catheter navigation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular attachment element is divided into multiple strips that are split and merged repeatedly to form a mesh-like cage structure. This segmentation allows the implant to be flexible during catheter navigation while maintaining structural integrity for stable fixation in the heart.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant structure transitions from a flexible collapsed state during catheter navigation to a rigid expanded state for fixation. The mesh-like cage formed by splitting and merging strips provides dynamic adaptability, being flexible when compressed and stable when expanded.
2Strength
If the strips are made thicker to increase structural strength, then fixation strength is improved, but flexibility for pushing through catheter deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Each strip is divided into multiple thinner branches through repeated splitting and merging. These thinner branches provide sufficient flexibility for catheter navigation while the collective mesh structure maintains adequate fixation strength when expanded.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant uses thin strip branches that form a mesh-like cage structure. These thin branches are flexible enough to navigate catheters while the interconnected mesh provides structural strength for fixation.
3Ease of manufacture
If the implant is designed with simple structure for easy manufacture, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but flexibility and adaptability for catheter-based implantation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is manufactured as a single tubular attachment element that is automatically divided into strips and branches through controlled splitting and merging. This segmented design achieves the desired flexibility for catheter navigation while maintaining relative manufacturing simplicity through a systematic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple strips are merged to form branches, and branches are merged to form the final cage structure. This merging process creates the flexible mesh-like configuration needed for catheter-based implantation while following a systematic manufacturing approach.
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 improved flexibility of the implant allows for successful catheter-based implantation and expansion within the heart, effectively reducing or eliminating blood regurgitation by filling a membrane with fluid or using shape memory materials to expand and fix the closure element in the valve annulus.
Implementation Method 1
using shape memory materials to expand and fix the closure element in the valve annulus
Implementation Method 2
filling a membrane with fluid or using shape memory materials to expand and fix the closure element
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
The invention relates to a heart implant comprising a tubular attachment element (1) for attaching an inflatable membrane (2), particularly an inflatable membrane (2) being coaxially positioned around the tubular attachment element (1) and fixed to it, the tubular attachment element (1) at one of its ends being split into several strips (4), the strips (4) extending away from the tubular attachment element (1) and forming an expandable cage (C), particularly for fixing the heart implant to the atrium of the heart by surface contact between an exterior surface of the expandable cage (C) and an interior atrium surface, each one of the strips (4) being split into two branches (4a, 4b, 4a', 4b',...), each respective branch (4a) being merged into a new strip (5) together with another respective branch (4b') of a neighboring strip (4) wherein such splitting and merging is performed one after the other at least three times and the number of strips (7) being formed of the last merged branches (6a, 6b, ....) at the end of extension corresponding to the number of strips (4) at the one end of the tubular attachment element (1).