Helical Coil Thrombus Removal Device with Distal Loop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional thrombectomy devices are often too large and stiff for small, tortuous vessels in the brain, and their design can push clots deeper into the artery or fragment them, making removal risky and incomplete.
Innovation Solution
A small, flexible thrombus removal device with a helical coil and a distal loop tip that screws into the clot without pushing it further into the artery, allowing for secure capture and retrieval of clots of varying lengths without penetrating the vessel wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional thrombectomy devices are used to capture clots, then clot removal can be achieved, but the devices may push clots deeper into the artery or fragment them
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the clot engagement function into two separate components: the helical coil for capturing the clot and the loop tip for preventing distal displacement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally without the harmful effects of conventional devices that combine these functions in a way that causes fragmentation and distal push.
Solution Approach 2:
The loop tip acts as an intermediary element between the helical coil and the distal artery wall. It mediates the interaction by providing a protective barrier that prevents the helical coil from directly contacting and damaging the vessel wall, thereby preventing clot fragmentation and distal displacement while maintaining capture reliability.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If devices with smooth rounded tips are used to prevent vessel wall penetration, then vessel wall damage is reduced, but the devices cannot effectively screw into the clot
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the vessel wall protection function (loop tip) from the clot engagement function (helical coil). The loop tip with its smooth, rounded geometry prevents vessel wall penetration, while the helical coil with its threaded structure effectively screws into the clot. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning different geometries to different components based on their specific functions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If beads or balls are applied to device tips to protect the vessel wall, then vessel wall damage is prevented, but the devices push clots distally rather than capturing them
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the tip structure into two functional parts: the loop tip for vessel wall protection and the helical coil for clot capture. The loop tip with its protective geometry prevents vessel wall damage, while the helical coil's threaded structure enables effective clot engagement. This segmentation eliminates the push-away effect by removing the bead/ball that caused it and replacing it with a structure that actively captures clots.
Solution Approach 2:
The loop tip serves as an intermediary that protects the vessel wall from direct contact with the helical coil during clot engagement. It mediates the interaction between the clot-capturing mechanism and the vessel wall, preventing both penetration and the distal push effect while allowing effective clot capture to occur.
4Stability of the object's composition
If devices with central mandrel wires are used for support, then device structural stability is improved, but clots are displaced making complete capture difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The device removes the central mandrel wire from the structure, extracting the element that causes clot displacement. Instead, it uses the helical coil's own structural integrity and the loop tip's geometric configuration to provide the necessary support and stability. This extraction eliminates the harmful displacement effect while maintaining device stability through alternative means.
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
Enables safe and effective removal of clots from small vessels by preventing clot fragmentation and penetration of the vessel wall, facilitating the capture of both short and long clots without displacing clot material.
Implementation Method 1
The coil has a plurality of body portions with turns spaced apart longitudinally and laterally to facilitate screwing the coil into the thrombus
Implementation Method 2
The distal end of the coil is provided with a loop. The angle of the loop relative to a longitudinal axis extending through the helical coil is about the same as the angle of at least one body portion
Data Source
AI summary
A thrombi removal device includes a shaft with a distal end and a proximal end and a helical coil attached at one end to the distal end of the shaft and extending in the distal direction from the shaft. The coil has a plurality of body portions with turns or winding spaced apart longitudinally and laterally to facilitate screwing the coil into the thrombus and to provide a sufficient open area into which the thrombus can be captured. The distal end of the coil is provided with a loop. The angle of the loop relative to a longitudinal axis extending through the helical coil is about the same as the angle of at least one body portion.