Hydrogel-Coated Balloon Catheter Tip for Low-Friction Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Balloon catheters face challenges in advancing through long distances and narrow blood vessels due to high frictional resistance, especially when accessing target positions like the heart or brain from the femoral artery access point.
Innovation Solution
A balloon catheter with a hydrogel coating applied only to the distal tip, which swells upon contact with blood to enhance lubricity and facilitate advancement through constricted vessels, minimizing the amount of hydrogel used to avoid side effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a balloon catheter is advanced through long distances and narrow blood vessels, then the catheter can reach distant target positions, but high frictional resistance occurs making advancement difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrogel coating is applied selectively only to the distal tip of the balloon catheter rather than the entire catheter body. This localized application provides lubrication exactly where needed during navigation through narrow vessels, while minimizing the total amount of hydrogel used and reducing potential side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrogel coating acts as an intermediary substance between the catheter surface and the blood vessel wall. When the hydrogel contacts blood, it swells and forms a lubricious layer that mediates the interaction, significantly reducing frictional resistance and facilitating smooth advancement of the catheter through constricted vessels.
2Ease of operation
If hydrogel is applied to the entire catheter surface, then lubricity is maximized, but the amount of hydrogel increases causing potential allergic reactions
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrogel coating is applied selectively only to the distal tip of the balloon catheter rather than the entire catheter body. This localized application provides lubrication exactly where needed during navigation through narrow vessels, while minimizing the total amount of hydrogel used and reducing potential side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying hydrogel to the entire catheter surface, only a partial section (the distal tip) is coated. This partial action is sufficient to achieve the desired lubrication effect during catheter advancement, while avoiding the excessive use of hydrogel that would increase the risk of allergic reactions and other side effects.
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 hydrogel-coated distal tip reduces friction, allowing easy navigation through narrow passages and insertion into introducer sheaths, while minimizing hydrogel exposure to prevent allergic reactions.
Implementation Method 1
the distal tip of the balloon catheter being provided with a coating consisting of a hydrogel... When the hydrogel comes into contact with blood during insertion of the balloon catheter into the vasculature, it swells due to water absorption and forms the highly lubricious gel
Implementation Method 2
it swells due to water absorption and forms the highly lubricious gel... the balloon catheter having particularly good lubricity distally
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a balloon catheter (1) to be introduced into the blood vessel system of the human or animal body, said catheter having a longitudinally extending shaft (2), with the balloon catheter (1) comprising a distal portion (A) in which a balloon (3) is arranged that is expandable by the supply of a fluid through a lumen (9) extending through the shaft (2), with the distal tip (8) of the balloon catheter (1) being provided with a coating consisting of a hydrogel (7). The invention provides a balloon catheter (1) capable of easily passing through constricted areas in blood vessels.