Light-Irradiation Catheter With Cross-Flow Fluid Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light irradiation devices for PDT and NIR-PIT do not effectively manage fluid release direction, leading to insufficient light penetration and potential side effects due to blood absorption and coagulation in biological lumens.
Innovation Solution
A catheter design with strategically positioned openings and expandable/contractable parts that release fluid in directions intersecting the light emission path, reducing blood concentration and preventing coagulation, thereby enhancing light penetration and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If light irradiation is performed from the body surface in the biological spectroscopic window (690 nm), then the immune system effect can be expected, but light permeability is insufficient for cancers deep inside the body
Solution Approach 1:
A catheter is introduced as an intermediary device to deliver light from the body surface to the target tissue deep inside the body. The catheter includes a light emission part that directs light through the skin and tissue to the cancer cells, bypassing the limitation of direct body surface irradiation. Fluid release openings in the catheter create a fluid barrier between the light path and blood vessels, preventing blood absorption and coagulation while maintaining light transmission effectiveness.
2Illumination intensity
If fluid is released from the catheter to reduce blood concentration, then light penetration is improved, but fluid management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates fluid release openings at specific locations along its length, creating localized fluid release zones rather than uniform release throughout. This allows fluid to be released strategically at positions where it most effectively reduces blood concentration along the light path, improving light penetration efficiency while minimizing the overall complexity of the fluid management system.
3Ease of manufacture
If the catheter structure is simplified, then ease of manufacture is improved, but ability to control fluid release direction deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter design incorporates fluid release openings that utilize the radial dimension perpendicular to the catheter's longitudinal axis. By releasing fluid in directions intersecting with the light emission path through these radially-oriented openings, the system achieves effective fluid direction control without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving operational effectiveness.
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
Improves light irradiation efficiency by locally reducing fluid concentration, preventing blood coagulation, and suppressing temperature rise, thus ensuring effective target tissue treatment with reduced side effects.
Implementation Method 1
a light emission part configured to emit light in a predetermined direction
Implementation Method 2
an opening configured to release a fluid, a releasing direction of the fluid from the opening and an emission direction of the light from the light emission part intersecting each other
Implementation Method 3
improves light irradiation efficiency by locally reducing fluid concentration
Implementation Method 4
preventing blood coagulation
Implementation Method 5
PDT involves intravenous administration of a photosensitizer followed by light irradiation to generate active oxygen in cancer cells, thereby killing the cancer cells
Implementation Method 6
A catheter design with strategically positioned openings and expandable/contractable parts
Data Source
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AI summary
A catheter includes a long tubular main body part, a light emission part that is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body part and emits light in a predetermined outward direction, and an opening that is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the main body part and capable of releasing a fluid, wherein the direction in which the fluid is released from the opening intersects the direction in which light is emitted from the light emission part.