Loop-Wire Stent Graft Delivery for Precise Branched Aortic Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing endovascular repair methods for aortic aneurysms face challenges in achieving precise deployment and anchoring of stent grafts without compromising blood flow and risking injury to surrounding vasculature, particularly in regions with arterial branches supplying vital organs.
Innovation Solution
A stent graft delivery system with a handle, guidewire catheter, and at least one tube, featuring a wire configured as a loop to radially constrict and control the stent graft, allowing for precise alignment and orientation before full deployment, using materials like Nitinol or stainless steel for self-expansion or balloon catheters for expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If stent graft is deployed without radial constriction control, then deployment speed is improved, but positioning precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wire is pre-configured as a loop that can be threaded through the stent graft before deployment. This preliminary preparation allows the wire to be positioned and tensioned to constrict the stent graft radially, enabling precise positioning and orientation control during the deployment process without compromising speed.
2Manufacturing precision
If wire tension is increased to improve alignment, then positioning precision is improved, but risk of vascular injury increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire loop configuration allows dynamic adjustment of tension during the deployment process. The wire can be gradually tensioned to achieve the desired alignment, and the loop structure enables controlled release of tension, allowing the physician to optimize alignment precision while minimizing the risk of vascular injury through progressive rather than excessive force application.
3Ease of operation
If stent graft is constricted radially, then positioning control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire loop acts as an intermediary element between the delivery system and the stent graft. By threading the wire through the stent graft and configuring it as a loop, the system achieves radial constriction and positioning control without requiring complex mechanical structures. The wire loop serves as a simple yet effective mediator that provides the necessary control functionality.
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
Enables accurate deployment of stent grafts with reduced risk of vascular injury and distortion, ensuring complete exclusion of the aneurysm sac while maintaining blood flow, particularly in complex aortic regions with arterial branches.
Implementation Method 1
The proximal end of the wire is variably moved in a proximal or distal direction to variably decrease or increase radial constriction of the at least one stent of the stent graft
Implementation Method 2
at least one stent of the stent graft being held in a radially constricted position by at least one wire configured as a loop
Data Source
AI summary
A stent graft delivery system includes a handle, a guidewire catheter extending distally from the handle, at least one tube, and at least one wire extending through the at least one tube, wherein each wire of the stent graft delivery system is configured as a loop at the distal end of the tube. The stent graft delivery system can be employed to implant stent grafts in a patient to thereby treat, for example, an aortic aneurysm spanning a region of an aorta that includes at least one arterial branch.