Loop Tip Wire Guide Navigating Tortuous Vessels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire guides with straight flexible tips face difficulties navigating tortuous paths and impediments in body vessels, as they tend to bend and make unintended contact with vessel walls, leading to unstable turns and hindered navigation.
Innovation Solution
A wire guide with a loop tip that includes an elongate member with a first and second diameter, where the second diameter is smaller, forming a resilient loop that can deform to navigate around impediments and tortuous paths, with a closure member to maintain the loop's shape and position, and a covering for smooth navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a straight flexible tip is used on the wire guide, then the wire guide can navigate around impediments, but the tip may bend toward vessel walls causing unintended contact and unstable turns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by forming a loop at the distal end of the wire guide instead of using a straight tip. This loop structure, defined by bending the elongate member back upon itself, provides a curved geometry that naturally follows tortuous vessel paths without making unintended contact with vessel walls, thereby improving navigation stability while maintaining maneuverability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wire guide is made more flexible to navigate tortuous paths, then navigation through curved vessels improves, but the wire guide may turn back upon itself forming unstable turns
Solution Approach 1:
The loop structure provides a predetermined curved configuration that guides the wire guide along stable arc-shaped paths. This curvature prevents the wire guide from turning back upon itself by establishing a geometric constraint that maintains forward progression through tortuous anatomy
Solution Approach 2:
The loop is formed in advance during manufacturing, predetermining the wire guide's behavior when encountering tortuous paths. This preliminary configuration ensures that the wire guide will naturally follow a stable curved path without requiring real-time adjustment, preventing unstable turns before they occur
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 loop tip wire guide effectively navigates through tortuous paths and around impediments by deforming to maintain a stable path, reducing the risk of vessel wall contact and enhancing navigation through curved or obstructed vessels.
Implementation Method 1
The loop tip wire guide effectively navigates through tortuous paths and around impediments by deforming to maintain a stable path
Data Source
AI summary
A wire guide has first and second portions with first and second diameters, respectively. A resilient loop positions a distal end of the wire guide adjacent another section of the wire guide. A closure member comprising at least one attachment tab maintains the distal end in a fixed position relative to the remainder of the wire guide. A covering may be positioned around one or more parts of the wire guide.