Intra-lumen Suture Knot Deployment via Nested Needle

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional minimally invasive cardiac valve repair procedures are invasive, technologically challenging, and require extended recovery times due to the need for multiple suture knot deployments, which can be time-consuming and increase the level of invasiveness, especially when dealing with mitral valve regurgitation.

Innovation Solution

A delivery system comprising a needle with a lumen for carrying and deploying multiple suture anchors, where the suture anchors are coiled within the needle and pushed out using a pusher to form knots on the valve leaflet, allowing for simultaneous or near-simultaneous deployment of multiple knots during a single procedure, reducing the need for repeated needle insertion and minimizing tissue friction and damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple suture knots are deployed using conventional methods, then the valve repair can be completed, but the procedure becomes time-consuming and more invasive

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalve repair completionVSAvoidprocedure time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple suture anchors are combined into a single delivery system that can deploy multiple knots simultaneously or near-simultaneously through one needle insertion, merging what would traditionally require multiple separate procedures into a single integrated operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

Suture anchors are pre-loaded into the needle lumen before the procedure, and multiple anchors are prepared in advance within the delivery system, allowing for rapid sequential deployment without repeated preparation steps

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If multiple needle insertions are performed for suture knot deployment, then complete valve repair is achieved, but tissue friction and damage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalve repair completionVSAvoidtissue damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple suture anchor deliveries are merged into a single needle insertion event, where all anchors are introduced through one puncture of the valve leaflet, eliminating the need for multiple separate needle insertions and reducing cumulative tissue trauma

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The delivery system segments multiple suture anchors into individual units that can be independently deployed from a single access point, allowing each anchor to be released sequentially or simultaneously without requiring separate needle insertions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Ease of manufacture

If conventional suture deployment methods are used, then sutures can be placed in the valve, but the procedure requires extended recovery time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesuture placement capabilityVSAvoidrecovery time

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple suture placement operations are combined into a single procedural event, reducing the overall duration of the intervention and consequently shortening the patient's recovery time while maintaining complete suture placement capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If multiple suture anchors are delivered sequentially, then complete valve repair is possible, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalve repair completionVSAvoiddelivery system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple suture anchors are nested within the lumen of a single needle, with each anchor contained within the delivery system's internal pathway, allowing complex multi-anchor delivery through a relatively simple external structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS20230255616A1Intra-lumen suture knot deployment

Publication Date: 2023.08.17 EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORP

AI summary

A delivery system comprises a needle comprising a distal tip configured to pierce a valve leaflet of a heart and a lumen configured to receive one or more suture anchors, a first suture anchor configured to be delivered via the lumen of the needle, and a pusher configured to extend through the lumen of the needle and configured to press the first suture anchor beyond the distal tip of the needle.