Intravascular Sensor Fixation Using Low-Obstruction Anchoring Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intracorporeal devices face challenges in securing themselves within blood vessels without obstructing blood flow or causing vessel damage, particularly in thin and compliant vessels like the pulmonary artery, and existing technologies have not adequately addressed the need for devices and methods for fixing intravascular devices in a safe, simple, and predictable manner.
Innovation Solution
A delivery system with a delivery shaft and sheath that includes a guidewire lumen, a pressure sensor, and anchoring structures such as wire loops, radial wire arrays, and daisy petal structures, which minimize vessel obstruction and secure the device through interference fit or lodging at vessel furcations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are deployed in a network to monitor physiological parameters, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and difficulty of deployment increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly performs self-deployment through the natural peristaltic movements of the esophagus. The expandable basket structure automatically transitions from a compressed delivery state to an expanded sensor deployment state as it passes through esophageal contractions, eliminating the need for complex external deployment mechanisms or multiple access points.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensors are integrated into a single unified assembly that is deployed through one access point (the mouth). The sensor assembly combines multiple physiological sensors, power sources, and communication elements into one cohesive unit that can be swallowed and deployed simultaneously, reducing the complexity associated with multiple separate deployments.
2Reliability
If sensors are fixed securely to prevent displacement, then reliability of monitoring is improved, but ease of manufacture and deployment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly transitions from a static fixed state to a dynamic adaptive state. The expandable basket structure allows the sensors to be positioned and secured at different locations along the esophagus depending on the natural peristaltic movements and anatomical variations of individual patients, achieving reliable fixation without requiring precise pre-manufacturing positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical state of the sensor assembly changes from a compressed, flexible delivery configuration to an expanded, rigid monitoring configuration. This parameter change enables the sensors to engage with the esophageal wall for stable monitoring while maintaining ease of deployment during the swallowing process.
Data Source
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AI summary
A delivery system for an intracorporeal device includes a sheath defining one or more lumens shaped to receive a delivery catheter or shaft and a guidewire. The system may include a delivery shaft having a distal coupling feature adapted to releasably couple with a proximal coupling feature of the intracorporeal device. The delivery system may further include a hub through which the delivery shaft and guidewire are passed. The delivery shaft may be coupled to a feature, such as a knob, that enables manipulation of the delivery shaft to decouple the distal fixation feature from the proximal fixation feature of the intracorporeal device in order to deploy the intracorporeal device within a patient.