Infusion Filter With Coil-Deployable Wire for Minimally Invasive Thrombolysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vascular filters for preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are invasive, costly, and require complex surgical procedures for placement and removal, posing risks to patients and being impractical for preventative use.
Innovation Solution
A vascular filter system that includes a dispensing needle with a filter wire dispenser, where the filter wire coils upon deployment into a vein to form a filter, allowing for easy placement and removal without the need for large bore access or complex imaging guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a removable IVC filter is placed to prevent PE, then protection from pulmonary embolism is achieved, but filter removal becomes technically challenging and requires large bore access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a disposable filter system where the filter is placed through a needle and delivery system that is then removed. The filter itself is designed to be temporary (short-living) for preventing PE during the acute phase, and its removal is simplified because the entire delivery system can be used to retrieve it without requiring separate large bore access procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter is nested within the delivery system (catheter/needle assembly) during placement. The delivery system serves as a container that guides and deploys the filter into position, and then can be used to retrieve the filter for removal. This nested configuration eliminates the need for separate access procedures for both placement and removal.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional surgical procedures are used for filter placement, then filter can be installed, but patient recovery time increases and procedural risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional open surgical mechanical procedures with a minimally invasive percutaneous approach using a needle and catheter-based delivery system. This substitution of the delivery mechanism allows filter placement without large incisions or complex surgical exposure, dramatically reducing patient trauma and recovery time while maintaining effective filter installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery system utilizes flexible catheters and thin-walled components that can be advanced through small puncture sites in the vessel wall. This flexibility allows the system to navigate the vasculature and deploy the filter through minimal access points, avoiding the need for rigid surgical instruments and large incisions that would increase recovery time.
3Ease of operation
If large bore catheter access is used for filter placement, then filter can be delivered, but procedural complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system is segmented into modular components (needle, catheter, filter, deployment mechanism) that can be assembled and manipulated separately. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and simplifies the overall procedure by breaking down the complex task of filter delivery into manageable steps that can be performed through small access sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a traditional large-bore linear access approach to a percutaneous puncture approach that accesses the vessel through a different dimensional path (through the vessel wall rather than through a large incision). This dimensional change in access methodology simplifies the procedure by avoiding the need for large bore catheters and complex surgical exposure while still enabling effective filter delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
An infusion filter design combines a fluid infusion device and a blood filtration device that filter blood during a thrombolysis procedure while allowing for complete filter removal on procedure completion. In one embodiment, a wire comprises a proximal, non-infusible length that extends partially outside of the patient and within the vein. The wire further comprises an infusible length distally from the non-infusible length that is extends within the vein so as to be placed at the section of the vein requiring medication. The wire also comprises a distal filter component at a distal end of the wire that is employed to filter the blood in the event that during the period that clot is dissolved it migrates toward the central circulation.