External Magnetic Flow Generation for Lumen Obstruction Clearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to efficiently clear obstructions within body lumens and in-dwelling devices without requiring invasive procedures or device removal, and they often require active mechanical mechanisms to generate fluid flow.
Innovation Solution
A magnetically-responsive flow generator with a rotor coupled to an elongate wire is used, where the rotor rotates within the body lumen in response to an external magnetic field, generating fluid flow without mechanical contact, and magnetic particles agglomerate into stir bars to clear obstructions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If active mechanical mechanisms are used to generate fluid flow, then fluid flow generation capability is improved, but device complexity and invasiveness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces active mechanical mechanisms with a magnetic field-based system. An external magnetic controller generates a rotating magnetic field that acts on magnetically-responsive particles (e.g., iron oxide nanoparticles) already present in the body, causing them to rotate and generate fluid flow without requiring mechanical components inside the body lumen.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces magnetically-responsive particles as intermediaries between the external magnetic field and the fluid. These particles serve as a mediator that converts magnetic field energy into rotational motion and subsequently into fluid flow, eliminating the need for direct mechanical actuation within the body.
2Productivity
If invasive procedures or device removal are performed to clear obstructions, then obstruction clearance effectiveness is improved, but patient trauma and procedure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces invasive mechanical procedures with a non-invasive magnetic field-based approach. The rotating magnetic field causes magnetically-responsive particles to rotate and generate fluid flow that clears obstructions through hydrodynamic forces rather than mechanical disruption, avoiding the need for invasive procedures or device removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the body's own fluid dynamics to clear obstructions by inducing rotation of magnetically-responsive particles that generate fluid flow. The system uses the body's existing physiological environment and applies external magnetic fields to create self-clearing flow patterns without requiring surgical intervention.
3Device complexity
If magnetic particles are used to generate flow, then device simplicity is improved, but control precision over flow direction and magnitude may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates imaging guidance (e.g., fluoroscopy, ultrasound, or MRI) to visualize the position and motion of magnetically-responsive particles in real-time. This feedback allows operators to adjust the magnetic field parameters (frequency, amplitude, orientation) to precisely control flow direction and magnitude while maintaining system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic control of the rotating magnetic field parameters (rotation speed, field strength, orientation) to precisely regulate fluid flow characteristics. By dynamically adjusting these parameters, the system achieves precise control over flow direction and magnitude without requiring complex mechanical control mechanisms.
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
This approach effectively clears obstructions and generates fluid flow within body lumens and in-dwelling devices without mechanical contact, reducing the need for invasive procedures and allowing for the delivery of therapeutic agents to otherwise inaccessible regions.
Implementation Method 1
The rotor is configured to rotate about a central longitudinal axis of the elongate wire upon application of a rotating magnetic field (e.g., generated by a magnetic controller external to the body of the subject) while the elongate wire remains stationary
Implementation Method 2
Rotation of the rotor generates fluid flow toward the therapeutic target
Implementation Method 3
magnetic particles agglomerate into stir bars to clear obstructions
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for facilitating flow within vasculature or other body lumens, channels or passages involving a magnetic field generated by an external magnetic control system and/or facilitating clearance of obstructions (e.g., clots, fluid obstructions) within in-dwelling devices (e.g., shunts, drains, conduits, ports, catheters) involving magnetic particles (e.g., nanoparticles, microparticles) controlled by an external magnetic control system (e.g., one or more rotating permanent magnets or an electromagnetic control system).