Intramyocardial Patterning for Cardiac Reshaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for heart failure, particularly left ventricular dilation, are invasive and have limitations in speed and effectiveness, with a need for alternative strategies to manage progressive remodeling and improve cardiac function.
Innovation Solution
Injecting a biocompatible polymer agent into specific patterns within the myocardial wall of the left ventricle to thicken the myocardium, reduce systolic volume, and enhance cardiac function, using injectable agents or implantable devices to provide structural support and promote reshaping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heart transplantation is performed for end-stage heart failure, then cardiac function is restored, but donor heart shortage limits treatment availability
Solution Approach 1:
The patient's own heart is used as the treatment source through intramyocardial injection of space-occupying agents that induce thickening and resizing of the ventricular wall, eliminating the need for donor hearts and making the therapy universally applicable to all heart failure patients
2Stability of the object's composition
If mechanical external constraints are used to limit left ventricular remodeling, then ventricular geometry is preserved, but the devices are invasive and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The external mechanical constraint device is removed and replaced by injecting space-occupying agents directly into the myocardium, transforming the treatment from an external invasive device to an internal chemical-biological intervention that simplifies the overall system
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical external constraint system is replaced by a chemical-biological system where injectable agents (polymers, growth factors, cells) induce biological remodeling of the myocardium, substituting mechanical support with biological regeneration
3Shape
If intramyocardial injection of space-occupying agent is performed, then myocardial thickening and ventricular resizing is achieved, but the injection procedure must be precisely patterned
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the myocardium receive targeted injections with specific space-occupying agents to achieve localized thickening and resizing effects, with each injection site optimized for its specific anatomical location and functional requirement
Data Source
AI summary
Cardiomyopathy may be treated by distributing space-occupying agent within the myocardium in a pattern about one or more chambers of the heart, such that the space-modifying agent integrates into and thickens at least part of the cardiac wall about the chamber so as globally to reduce wall stress and stabilize or even reduce chamber size. Some patterns also cause a beneficial global reshaping of the chamber. These changes occur quickly and are sustainable, and have a rapid and sustainable therapeutic effect on cardiac function. Over time the relief of wall stress reduces oxygen consumption and promotes healing. Moreover, various long-term therapeutic effects may be realized depending on the properties of the space-occupying agent, including combinations with other therapeutic materials. These techniques may also be used to treat localized conditions, whether or not they have progressed to cardiomyopathy.