Left Atrial Appendage Occluder Hooks for Early Tissue Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occluders for left atrial appendage (LAA) face challenges in accurately fitting and anchoring within highly variable anatomies, leading to potential dislodgment and the need for multiple size adjustments, due to their design limitations in engaging tissue during deployment.
Innovation Solution
A self-expandable occluder with a lobe and stabilizing wires featuring hooks that engage tissue early in deployment, allowing for stable anchoring even in over-compressed conditions, and a rounded transition to enhance conformability and reduce radial force on surrounding tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If existing occluders are designed with standard anchoring mechanisms, then they can be deployed in typical anatomies, but they fail to accurately fit and anchor in highly variable LAA anatomies, leading to dislodgment
Solution Approach 1:
The hooks on the stabilizing wires are designed to engage with the LAA tissue early during the deployment process, before the occluder is fully deployed. This preliminary engagement provides immediate anchoring stability that prevents dislodgment, while the curved transition allows the device to adapt to various anatomical configurations as it expands
Solution Approach 2:
The occluder features a curved transition zone with a specific radius of curvature (0.075-0.125 inches) that concentrates conformability in the region where the lobe meets the middle portion. This localized curvature design allows the device to adapt to variable anatomies at the critical interface without compromising the overall structural integrity or anchoring capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If occluders require multiple size adjustments to fit variable anatomies, then they can achieve better fit, but the deployment process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The curved transition design with optimized radius of curvature enables a single occluder size to effectively adapt to a wide range of LAA anatomical variations. The geometric design provides universal applicability across different patient anatomies without requiring size adjustments or complex selection protocols
Solution Approach 2:
The curved transition zone with a controlled radius of curvature (0.075-0.125 inches) changes the geometric parameters of the occluder to improve conformability. This parameter optimization allows the device to adapt to various anatomies through geometric design rather than requiring multiple size options
3Reliability
If stabilizing wires are positioned to engage tissue early in deployment, then anchoring stability is improved, but the hooks may interfere with deployment mechanics
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing wires with hooks are positioned to engage tissue in the radial dimension early during deployment, while the curved transition in the axial dimension allows smooth expansion. This multi-dimensional design separates the anchoring function (radial engagement) from the deployment mechanics (axial expansion), enabling both early tissue engagement and smooth deployment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The occluder achieves stable deployment and anchoring in a wide range of LAA anatomies, reducing the risk of dislodgment and enabling consistent patient outcomes by ensuring hooks engage tissue early and maintain contact throughout the deployment process.
Implementation Method 1
each hook being configured to frictionally engage tissue of the left atrial appendage
Implementation Method 2
the lobe having an expanded condition in the absence of applied forces and a collapsed condition for delivery to the LAA
Data Source
AI summary
A left atrial appendage (“LAA”) occluder may include a lobe with proximal and distal ends defining proximal and distal surfaces of the lobe, respectively, and a middle portion therebetween, the lobe having an expanded unbiased condition and a collapsed delivery condition. A plurality of stabilizing wires may be coupled to the lobe, each wire having a hook at a distal end thereof, each hook having a terminal end positioned radially outwardly of the lobe in the expanded condition of the lobe and being configured to frictionally engage tissue of the LAA. In the expanded condition of the lobe, each hook has a distalmost point being positioned a spaced axial distance from the distal surface of the lobe in the expanded condition of the lobe, the spaced axial distance being between about 0 mm and about 1.5 mm.