Medical Microdevice Anchoring and Retrieval Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current clinical treatments for diseases like cancer often fail to account for patient-specific molecular and genetic factors, leading to suboptimal therapeutic outcomes, as they follow standard guidelines rather than personalized approaches.
Innovation Solution
A retrieval apparatus and method for selectively removing a medical microdevice and its anchoring apparatus from a target implantation site in body tissue, which includes a guidewire, expandable anchor, stylet, and retrieval sheath, allowing for the local delivery of microdoses of active agents and subsequent tissue sampling for analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a medical microdevice with expandable anchoring apparatus is implanted in body tissue, then the microdevice can be securely anchored and used for local delivery of active agents, but the device cannot be easily removed for tissue sampling and response assessment
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring apparatus transitions from an expanded anchored state to a collapsed retrievable state. The anchor is configured to be expandable from a collapsed configuration during implantation to an expanded configuration for anchoring, and can be recollapsed for retrieval, enabling both secure anchoring and easy removal
Solution Approach 2:
The microdevice is nested within the anchor structure, and both can be contained within the retrieval sheath during removal. The stylet is inserted through the stylet lumen to engage and push the microdevice and anchor assembly into the retrieval sheath for extraction
2Reliability
If the anchoring apparatus is expanded within body tissue, then secure anchoring is achieved, but the expanded anchor prevents complete retrieval of the microdevice through narrow lumens
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor dynamically changes size between expanded and collapsed states. When expanded, it provides secure anchoring; when collapsed, it reduces to a compact form that can pass through the stylet lumen and retrieval sheath for complete device removal
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the anchor (size, volume, cross-sectional dimensions) are changed between expanded and collapsed states. This parameter transformation allows the anchor to satisfy both anchoring requirements (when expanded) and retrieval requirements (when collapsed)
3Stability of the object's composition
If standard clinical treatments follow established guidelines, then treatment consistency is maintained, but patient-specific molecular and genetic factors are not accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The microdevice is implanted to deliver microdoses of active agents before full treatment commitment. This preliminary action allows assessment of patient-specific drug response to molecular and genetic factors before establishing the complete treatment regimen
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables feedback by retrieving the microdevice with adjacent tissue for analysis of drug response. The results inform subsequent treatment decisions, allowing adaptation of standard guidelines to patient-specific factors while maintaining overall treatment consistency
Data Source
AI summary
A microdevice includes a body having longitudinally spaced proximal and distal device ends and a guidewire extending proximally from the proximal device end. An anchoring apparatus includes an anchor having longitudinally spaced proximal and distal anchor ends. The anchoring apparatus is selectively expandable between a collapsed insertion condition and an expanded anchoring condition within the body tissue. A retrieval apparatus for selectively retrieving the medical microdevice and its associated anchoring apparatus from a target implantation site of a body tissue is described. The retrieval apparatus includes a stylet having proximal and distal stylet ends longitudinally separated by a stylet lumen configured to selectively accept the guidewire. A retrieval sheath has proximal and distal sheath ends longitudinally separated by a sheath lumen. The sheath lumen is configured to selectively and concurrently laterally surround the microdevice and the stylet therewithin for removal from the body tissue.