Medical Device Curving System with Sterile Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices, such as catheters, lack the ability to be quickly and easily customized to match the unique anatomical requirements of individual patients, leading to suboptimal procedures and increased healthcare costs due to the need for a wide variety of sizes and curvatures.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for curving elongated medical devices using a apparatus with a forming unit, bending tool, and barrier to impart a permanent curve, utilizing a mandrel and heat source to customize the curvature based on patient-specific data from a database, ensuring sterility and precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wide variety of catheter sizes and curve radii are stocked to meet diverse patient anatomical needs, then patient-specific anatomical requirements can be satisfied, but inventory costs and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a universal catheter system that can be configured with different curve radii and orientations to match diverse patient anatomies. A single catheter design serves multiple functions by allowing adjustment of its distal portion curvature, eliminating the need to stock multiple specialized catheter types for different anatomical variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter's distal portion is designed with dynamic curvature capabilities, allowing it to be bent and shaped during the procedure to match the patient's specific anatomy. This dynamic adaptability replaces the static variety of pre-formed catheter types, enabling one catheter to perform the roles of many.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple catheter types with different curve radii are maintained in inventory, then selective locating capability is improved, but healthcare costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system provides universal selective locating capability through its adjustable distal portion that can be configured to navigate various vascular paths. This multi-functional design allows a single catheter type to replace multiple specialized types, reducing inventory expenditure while maintaining the ability to reach different anatomical targets.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter's curvature parameters can be changed during the procedure by adjusting the distal portion's bend radius and orientation. This parameter variability enables the same catheter to adapt to different patient anatomies, eliminating the need to purchase and stock multiple catheter types with fixed curve radii.
3Ease of operation
If preformed curved catheters are used to navigate intricate anatomies, then access to previously inaccessible areas is achieved, but the ability to quickly adapt to unique patient requirements is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter's distal portion can be dynamically adjusted during the procedure to match the patient's specific anatomy. This dynamic capability allows the catheter to navigate intricate anatomies while simultaneously adapting to unique patient requirements, combining ease of operation with procedure-specific customization.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is designed with a pre-configurable distal portion that can be shaped before or during the procedure to match the anticipated anatomical path. This preliminary configuration capability allows the operator to prepare the catheter for specific patient anatomies while maintaining the flexibility to adjust if needed, bridging the gap between preformed and customizable approaches.
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 the creation of custom-curvature medical devices on demand, reducing procedural time, improving patient outcomes, and minimizing inventory costs by providing optimal device configurations for specific patient anatomies.
Implementation Method 1
a heat source configured to heat the medical device
Data Source
AI summary
System for curving an elongated medical device including a curving apparatus, and a curve database corresponding to at least one curve shape. The curving apparatus is configured to impart a permanent curve according to the curve shape on a distal portion of an elongated medical device that is greater than that on a proximal portion of the elongated medical device while maintaining sterility of the elongated medical device.