Mobile External Coupling for Branch Vessel Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stent-graft technologies face challenges in effectively directing blood flow from the main aorta into branch vessels, particularly in thoracic aneurysms, due to issues with fenestrations not forming a tight seal, leading to blood leakage and impaired flow, and branch stent-graft connections being difficult to establish effectively.
Innovation Solution
A tubular endovascular prosthesis with a mobile external coupling made of woven fabric with shape memory material, which expands to align with branch vessels and maintains contact, ensuring unobstructed flow by self-configuring to protrude away from the main body, thereby improving alignment and reducing leakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fenestrations are used in main vessel stent-grafts to accommodate side branches, then branch vessel access is enabled, but blood leakage occurs between the graft edges and vessel wall
Solution Approach 1:
A mobile external coupling acts as an intermediary component between the main vessel stent-graft and branch vessel stent-graft. This coupling provides a sealed connection interface that prevents blood leakage while enabling branch vessel access, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and sealing effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent-graft system is divided into separate modular components: a main vessel stent-graft, a mobile external coupling, and a branch vessel stent-graft. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for its specific function while maintaining overall system reliability and adaptability.
2Reliability
If stent-grafts are used to seal against the aorta wall, then aneurysm exclusion is achieved, but alignment with branch vessels becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile external coupling is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation to achieve proper alignment with branch vessels while the main stent-graft remains sealed against the aorta wall. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction between sealing reliability and alignment adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile external coupling extends outward from the main vessel stent-graft in a direction perpendicular to the main vessel axis, creating a new spatial dimension for branch vessel connection. This dimensional extension allows simultaneous achievement of aortic wall sealing and branch vessel alignment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If branch stent-grafts are delivered through fenestrations, then branch vessel coverage is achieved, but connection difficulty and leakage risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile external coupling serves as an external intermediary connection interface, allowing branch stent-grafts to connect to the main vessel graft without passing through fenestrations. This external connection approach simplifies the deployment procedure and reduces leakage risk while maintaining branch vessel coverage capability.
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
The mobile external coupling enhances the alignment and sealing of the stent-graft with branch vessels, reducing blood leakage and ensuring consistent blood flow, thus improving the efficacy of stent-graft deployment in complex vascular anatomy.
Implementation Method 1
The coupling graft material is a woven fabric with warp yarns that include a shape memory material. The shape memory material is shape set to be straight such that the mobile external coupling when released into a relaxed (unconstrained) state is urged away from the tubular body.
Data Source
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AI summary
An endovascular prosthesis includes a tubular body (107) and a mobile external coupling (120'). The tubular body includes a graft material (102') and stents coupled thereto, and forms a lumen therethrough. The mobile external coupling extends outwardly from the tubular body. The mobile external coupling includes a graft material and is generally frustoconically shaped. The mobile external coupling includes a base coupled to the tubular body, a top spaced from the tubular body, and a coupling lumen disposed between the base and the top, wherein the coupling lumen is in flow communication with the body lumen. The coupling graft material can be a woven fabric with warp yarn which run generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the mobile external coupling including a shape memory material.