Visual Implant Detachment Indicator Using a Marked Support Tube
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical deployment systems for intravascular implants lack a clear visual indicator to confirm successful detachment and deployment of the implant, making it difficult for physicians to determine if the implant has been correctly deployed.
Innovation Solution
A delivery system with a tubular body and a marked distal section on a proximal support tube that becomes visible upon proximal translation, indicating successful deployment of the implant, along with a loop wire and pull wire mechanism to secure and release the implant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional mechanical deployment system is used, then the implant can be deployed, but it is difficult to visually determine whether the implant has been successfully deployed because the small change in length is difficult to determine visually
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by marking the distal portion of the support tube with a visible indicator (such as a colored band or pattern) that becomes visible when the support tube translates during deployment. This allows the operator to visually confirm deployment status through color or pattern changes rather than measuring small length changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary visual indicator on the support tube that mediates between the mechanical deployment action and the operator's visual detection. This indicator serves as a mediator that translates the mechanical displacement into a clearly visible signal, solving the problem of detecting small length changes.
2Reliability
If the inner tube is translated to detach the implant, then the detachment cycle is completed, but the small change in length is difficult to determine visually
Solution Approach 1:
The visual indicator on the distal portion of the support tube changes appearance (becomes visible or changes color/pattern) when the support tube translates during detachment. This provides reliable confirmation of detachment completion through visual cues rather than requiring precise measurement of small length changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements visual feedback by providing an indicator that gives immediate visual confirmation when detachment occurs. This feedback mechanism allows the operator to verify successful detachment without needing to measure the small displacement of the inner tube, thereby improving reliability while reducing detection difficulty.
3Loss of information
If a marked distal section is added to the proximal support tube, then visual confirmation of deployment is achieved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The marked distal section incorporates visual indicators (color changes, patterns, or markings) that provide deployment status information. This prevents information loss by making the deployment state visually apparent, while the marking process itself adds minimal structural complexity compared to redesigning the entire deployment mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A delivery system for deploying an implantable medical device to a target location of a body vessel can include a tubular body with a lumen extending therethrough, a pull wire extending through the lumen, and a proximal support tube disposed within the lumen and engaged to the pull wire such that proximal translation of the support tube causes proximal translation of the pull wire. The proximal support tube can include a marked distal section that is not visible to an operator of the delivery system prior to the release of the implant and that becomes visible when the proximal support tube is pulled proximally a sufficient distance to cause the delivery system to release the implant.