Nested Steerable Catheter for Endocardial Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices for endocardial injection face challenges in reaching and penetrating the endocardial injection site effectively, particularly in delivering therapeutic gels to ischemic myocardial tissue after a myocardial infarction, while minimizing backflow.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising multiple steerable catheters nested together, with an injection catheter having a distal end region equipped with an imaging section and a needle section, and an imaging device with an ultrasound transducer, allowing for precise navigation, imaging, and delivery of therapeutic gels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single catheter is used for endocardial injection, then the device structure is simple, but the ability to reach and penetrate the endocardial injection site effectively is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested catheter configuration where a first catheter is disposed within a second catheter, and a third catheter is disposed within the first catheter. This nested structure allows multiple functional elements to be integrated within a compact form factor, enabling effective reach and penetration of the endocardial injection site while maintaining manageable device complexity through systematic organization of components.
2Measurement precision
If multiple steerable catheters are nested together, then the navigation precision is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple steerable catheters are nested within each other in a systematic arrangement, allowing each catheter to contribute to navigation precision while remaining organized within a unified assembly. This nesting approach enables precise positioning through coordinated steering of multiple catheters without creating unmanageable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheters are equipped with steerable capabilities that allow dynamic adjustment of their positions and orientations. This dynamic control enables precise navigation to target sites by coordinating the movement of multiple nested catheters, with each catheter capable of independent steering to achieve the desired spatial configuration.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the imaging device is fixed within the injection catheter, then the imaging stability is improved, but the adaptability to different imaging positions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device is configured to be movable within the injection catheter, allowing it to be positioned at different locations along the catheter length. This dynamic positioning capability enables the imaging device to adapt to different imaging positions while maintaining stability during each imaging operation, providing both versatility and reliability.
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 system enables precise targeting and delivery of therapeutic gels to endocardial tissue, improving ischemic myocardial tissue recovery with reduced fibrosis and increased angiogenesis, while minimizing backflow and enhancing cardiac function.
Implementation Method 1
The imaging device includes an ultrasound transducer configured to be disposed along the imaging section
Data Source
AI summary
System for endocardial injection are disclosed. An example system may include a first steerable catheter having a first lumen formed therein. A second steerable catheter may be disposed within the first lumen. The second steerable catheter may have a second lumen formed therein. An injection catheter may be disposed within the second lumen. The injection catheter may have a distal end region. The distal end region may include an imaging section and a needle section. The system may include an imaging device configured to be disposed within the imaging section.