Catheter Heart Support Anchoring Below Aortic Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heart support systems face challenges in maintaining natural heart function, preventing thrombo-embolic complications, and avoiding mechanical stress on native valves during circulatory support, particularly due to the 'steal phenomenon' and anatomical anchoring difficulties below the aortic valve.
Innovation Solution
A catheter-based heart support system with a collapsible and expandable stent anchoring mechanism that can be implanted in the left or right ventricular outflow tract, using a self-expanding stent with hooks to anchor beneath the aortic or pulmonary valve, minimizing contact with foreign surfaces and avoiding the need for inlet cannulae, and incorporating a rotary blood pump and electrical supply line for efficient blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the pump is anchored in the aorta by a fixing means that projects through the aortic valve, then the pump can be securely positioned, but the native aortic valve is subjected to mechanical stress and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the anchoring function from the aortic valve region and relocates it to the ventricular outflow tract. The pump is positioned in the left ventricular outflow tract with the inlet opening facing the aortic valve, allowing secure anchoring without the fixing means projecting through the aortic valve, thereby eliminating mechanical stress on the native valve while maintaining pump stability.
2Productivity
If the pump is positioned with the inlet opening closely adjacent to the aortic valve, then blood flow efficiency is improved, but thrombo-embolic complications increase due to foreign surface contact
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional pump orientation by positioning the inlet opening to face the aortic valve rather than having the outlet opening face it. This reversal allows the pump to draw blood directly from the ventricular outflow tract, improving blood flow efficiency while minimizing contact between foreign surfaces and stagnant blood, thereby reducing thrombo-embolic complications.
3Productivity
If a valve prosthesis is arranged at the fixing means to prevent the steal phenomenon, then blood flow to the aorta is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the valve function from the artificial valve prosthesis and transfers it to the native aortic valve. By positioning the pump inlet opening to face the aortic valve and anchoring the pump in the ventricular outflow tract, the native valve continues to perform its blood flow regulation function without mechanical interference, eliminating the need for an additional valve prosthesis and reducing device complexity.
4Reliability
If the holding means is implanted in the sub-valvular position just underneath the aortic valve, then anchoring stability is improved, but the implantation procedure becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the implantation procedure into two distinct steps: first, anchoring the holding means in the sub-valvular position of the ventricular outflow tract to ensure stability; second, positioning the pump separately with its inlet opening facing the aortic valve. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, maintaining anchoring stability while simplifying the overall implantation procedure through catheter-based delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for circulatory support of the heart with holding means implanted intracardially in the left or right ventricular outflow of the hea by catheter, using an endovascular method, through a femoral access or a percutaneous transventricular, transseptal, transapical or transvenous access, the holding means comprises anchoring means fixed in the subcommissural triangle underneath the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve, in the flow direction of the blood on the ventricular side of the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve, a pump fixed in the holding means by a catheter, using an endovascular method, through a femoral access or a percutaneous transventricular, transseptal, transapical or transvenous access, the pump could be inserted releasably into the holding means after the holding means has been fixed by the anchoring means in the subcommissural triangles underneath the aortic valve and the pulmonary valve, or is connected to the collapsible and expandable anchoring means.