Microcatheter Enlarged Distal Section for Catheter Trackability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing guide catheters often get stuck at vessel bifurcations due to a gap between the guidewire and the distal end of the guide catheter, known as the ledge effect, which complicates access to treatment sites in tortuous vasculature.
Innovation Solution
A microcatheter with an enlarged distal section is used to minimize the gap between the guidewire and the guide catheter, along with a guidewire featuring a projection to bridge this gap, ensuring smooth tracking through the vasculature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional guide catheter is used, then the catheter can be easily manipulated, but the gap between the guidewire and the distal end of the guide catheter causes the catheter to get stuck at vessel bifurcations
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediate microcatheter with an enlarged distal section is introduced as a mediator between the guidewire and the guide catheter. The enlarged section fills the gap and provides a continuous tracking surface, allowing the guide catheter to be pushed over the microcatheter which in turn tracks over the guidewire, eliminating the ledge effect at bifurcations
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a nested configuration where the microcatheter is delivered through the guide catheter, and both are tracked over the guidewire. The intermediate microcatheter is nested within the guide catheter's lumen, creating a hierarchical structure that resolves the tracking problem
2Reliability
If the gap between guidewire and guide catheter is reduced, then trackability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter system is segmented into distinct functional components: a guidewire for initial navigation, an intermediate microcatheter with an enlarged distal section for filling the gap and providing tracking, and a guide catheter for delivering treatment devices. Each segment performs a specific function that collectively resolves the trackability issue
Solution Approach 2:
The microcatheter features a localized enlarged distal section rather than a uniform diameter throughout. This localized enlargement is positioned specifically at the region that interfaces with the guide catheter's distal end, providing the necessary tracking surface only where needed while maintaining flexibility elsewhere
Data Source
AI summary
The embodiments presented herein relate to concepts designed to eliminate the gap between a catheter and guide wire that can otherwise contribute to a catheter getting stuck within the vasculature.