Laser-Resistant Basket for Holmium Lithotripsy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing retrieval devices face challenges in breaking up stones within the body without damaging the basket legs, leading to loss of stone retention and potential trauma to surrounding tissue during extraction.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with a basket having legs made from materials like silver or gold, which are resistant to Holmium laser energy, allowing for effective stone fragmentation while minimizing damage to the basket, and a method involving a sheath and elongate member for capturing and removing stones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional basket materials (stainless steel, nitinol) are used, then the basket is mechanically strong and flexible, but the basket legs are damaged by Holmium laser energy during stone fragmentation
Solution Approach 1:
The basket legs are constructed as composite structures with a core made from conventional materials (stainless steel, cobalt chromium, nickel, titanium, or nitinol) providing mechanical strength and flexibility, and an outer coating made from laser-resistant material (silver or gold) protecting against Holmium laser energy. This composite design allows the basket to maintain both mechanical performance and laser resistance simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser-resistant material coating acts as an intermediary layer between the Holmium laser energy and the basket leg material. This coating layer absorbs or reflects the harmful laser energy before it can reach and damage the underlying structural material, thereby protecting the basket while allowing the procedure to proceed.
2Reliability
If the basket legs are protected with laser-resistant material, then the basket retains stone during laser lithotripsy, but the device complexity increases due to multi-material construction
Solution Approach 1:
The basket legs are constructed as composite structures with a core made from conventional materials (stainless steel, cobalt chromium, nickel, titanium, or nitinol) providing mechanical strength and flexibility, and an outer coating made from laser-resistant material (silver or gold) protecting against Holmium laser energy. This composite design allows the basket to maintain both mechanical performance and laser resistance simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser-resistant material coating acts as an intermediary layer between the Holmium laser energy and the basket leg material. This coating layer absorbs or reflects the harmful laser energy before it can reach and damage the underlying structural material, thereby protecting the basket while allowing the procedure to proceed.
3Device complexity
If thin coating of laser-resistant material is used, then the basket maintains flexibility, but the laser protection may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The basket legs are constructed as composite structures with a core made from conventional materials (stainless steel, cobalt chromium, nickel, titanium, or nitinol) providing mechanical strength and flexibility, and an outer coating made from laser-resistant material (silver or gold) protecting against Holmium laser energy. This composite design allows the basket to maintain both mechanical performance and laser resistance simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness of the laser-resistant coating is optimized to provide sufficient laser protection while maintaining basket flexibility. The coating thickness parameter is carefully selected based on the laser wavelength and power used, balancing protective capability with mechanical flexibility requirements for the specific medical application.
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 device effectively captures and reduces stone size using Holmium laser energy without damaging the basket legs, ensuring safe extraction and minimizing tissue trauma.
Implementation Method 1
the material reflects at least approximately 96% of the Holmium laser energy at wavelengths above approximately 2000 nm
Data Source
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Figure 7
AI summary
A medical device includes a sheath defining a lumen, an elongate member disposed within the lumen, and a basket connected to a distal end of the elongate member and being retractable within and extendable from the lumen. The basket includes a plurality of legs. At least one leg of the plurality of legs includes a material that is substantially resistant to Holmium laser energy.