Multi-opening Guide Tunnel for Stable Cardiac Implant Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for heart valve dysfunction, such as mitral or tricuspid regurgitation, involve invasive surgical procedures that pose risks and challenges in accurately positioning cardiac implants during beating heart procedures due to the instability of the heart's wall motion.
Innovation Solution
The use of a multi-opening guide tunnel with releasable anchors and a tether component to secure implants, allowing for stable delivery and positioning of anchors without requiring repositioning of the guide tunnel, facilitating minimally invasive or transvascular implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional open-heart surgical procedures are used to replace or repair heart valves, then valve dysfunction can be treated, but the invasiveness of the procedure and associated risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery system is divided into multiple components: an outer catheter with multiple openings, an inner catheter, releasable retaining structures, and anchors. This segmentation allows the system to perform multiple functions (delivery, positioning, securing) while reducing overall invasiveness compared to traditional open-heart surgery
Solution Approach 2:
The guide tunnel acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates the delivery and positioning of anchors within the heart tissue. It provides a stable pathway through which anchors can be accurately positioned without requiring open surgical access, thereby reducing surgical invasiveness while maintaining treatment effectiveness
2Reliability
If multiple anchors are secured to tissue using traditional methods, then the implant can be stabilized, but the guide tunnel requires repositioning for each anchor which increases procedure time and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The outer catheter is designed with multiple openings that can all be used simultaneously or sequentially to deliver multiple anchors. The catheter structure itself serves multiple functions: guiding anchors, providing structural support, and enabling multi-anchor delivery without repositioning, thereby reducing procedure complexity while maintaining implant stabilization
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple anchor delivery capabilities are merged into a single guide tunnel structure with multiple openings. This allows all anchors to be delivered through one positioned catheter rather than requiring separate positioning actions for each anchor, reducing procedural complexity while achieving reliable implant stabilization
3Productivity
If the guide tunnel has multiple openings for anchor passage, then multiple anchors can be secured without repositioning, but the structural support and column strength in the region with openings may buckle or collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tunnel is constructed with a composite structure combining an outer catheter material with discrete wall segments. These wall segments provide localized reinforcement in regions where openings are present, preventing buckling or collapse while allowing multiple openings for efficient multi-anchor delivery. The composite design maintains both structural strength and delivery efficiency
4Ease of operation
If the heart is in a beating state during implantation, then minimally invasive procedures can be performed, but the instability of the heart's wall motion makes accurate positioning of cardiac implants difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide tunnel is positioned and stabilized within the heart tissue before the anchors are deployed. This preliminary positioning action creates a stable reference framework that remains fixed relative to the beating heart, allowing subsequent anchor delivery and positioning to be performed with greater accuracy despite the heart's motion. The guide tunnel essentially pre-establishes the positioning geometry before the actual implantation occurs
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are devices and methods for delivering implants that include multiple coupled anchors. The anchors are secured to tissue using a multi-opening guide tunnel that is configured to releasably retain one or more portions of the implant located between two of the anchors. The releasable retention of one or more intervening portions of the implant maintains the position of the implant and the guide tunnel until the implant is secured to the tissue. The multi-opening guide tunnel permits securement of the multiple anchors without requiring repositioning of the guide tunnel for each anchor.