Ligating Device for Left Atrial Appendage Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Atrial fibrillation leads to increased risk of stroke due to blood pooling and clot formation in the left atrial appendage (LAA), as the irregular heart rhythm prevents normal contraction, allowing blood to stagnate and form thrombi that can enter the bloodstream.
Innovation Solution
The development of devices and methods for ligating anatomical structures, such as the LAA, using catheters with ligating elements and control elements that form a lariat configuration to prevent blood from entering and clots from forming or escaping, facilitating minimally invasive procedures to address atrial fibrillation and other conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional open-heart surgery is used to ligate the LAA, then reliable clot prevention is achieved, but patient trauma and recovery time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical open-heart surgery system with a minimally invasive catheter-based system that delivers ligating elements through blood vessels to the LAA, eliminating the need for chest opening and heart stopping while achieving effective ligation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces catheters and delivery systems as intermediary tools that transport ligating elements to the target LAA structure through the circulatory system, enabling remote intervention without direct surgical access to the heart
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a catheter-based ligating system is used, then patient trauma is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the ligating system into separate functional components including catheters for delivery, ligating elements for closure, and control mechanisms for deployment, allowing each component to be optimized independently and simplified in design
Solution Approach 2:
The ligating elements are designed to self-deploy and self-ligate the LAA once delivered to the target site, eliminating the need for complex external manipulation devices and reducing overall system complexity through autonomous functionality
3Stability of the object's composition
If the LAA is not ligated, then normal blood flow is maintained, but clot formation and stroke risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic LAA structure from the functional blood flow pathway by ligating it closed, removing the source of clot formation while preserving the essential pumping function of the left atrium through alternative pathways
Data Source
AI summary
Devices and methods for ligating anatomical structures are provided herein. In particular, the devices and methods provided herein can be used to ligate the left atrial appendage. The ligating devices (10, 110, 210, 310, 410) comprise a ligating element (30, 130, 230, 330, 430) and a control element (40, 140, 240, 340, 430) which controls the opening of the ligating element in a loop or lariat shape. Some embodiments comprise also a positioning element (50, 150) which help position the ligating element. In some embodiments a conduit (250) is provided for deploying the ligating element by inflating control.