Intraluminal Support Frame Graft Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current prosthetic valves for treating venous valve insufficiency lack a stable connection between the graft member and the support frame, leading to potential migration and reduced effectiveness in preventing retrograde flow.
Innovation Solution
The development of intraluminal medical devices with a support frame and a graft member that includes structural features such as loops, eyelets, contoured struts, and barbs to securely attach the graft member to the support frame, preventing migration and ensuring effective valve function.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a graft member is attached to a support frame in a prosthetic valve, then the valve function is provided, but the connection between graft member and support frame is unstable leading to migration
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment structure is divided into multiple discrete components: a loop formed in the support frame, an eyelet in the graft member, and a suture. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while collectively providing stable attachment without requiring a monolithic complex structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The eyelet is positioned within the loop structure, with the suture passing through both. This nested arrangement creates a compact attachment mechanism where the graft member's eyelet is captured within the support frame's loop, secured by the suture, preventing migration while maintaining simplicity.
2Device complexity
If simple attachment structures are used, then device complexity is reduced, but the connection between graft member and support frame becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The loop and eyelet are merged into a single integrated attachment system where the suture simultaneously connects both components. This merging creates a unified attachment structure that prevents graft member migration while avoiding the need for separate, complex fastening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The suture acts as an intermediary element that connects the loop in the support frame to the eyelet in the graft member. This intermediary component transfers and distributes attachment forces, ensuring stable connection while keeping the overall structure simple and manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
Implantable medical devices comprising a support frame and a graft member attached to the support frame. The support frame can define one or more structural features that substantially prevent migration of the graft member along the support frame.