Nested Tubular Instruments for Thrombus Penetration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Catheters used for fluid infusion and blood withdrawal often face issues such as narrowing, collapse, kinking, blockage by debris, and adherence to the vasculature, especially after prolonged dwell times, making blood withdrawal difficult and often requiring additional needle sticks.
Innovation Solution
A blood draw kit that includes a delivery device capable of advancing a tubular instrument through a catheter, either to the distal tip or beyond it, to overcome obstructions and facilitate blood collection without additional needle sticks. The kit uses a series of delivery devices with progressively longer tubular instruments to increase the likelihood of passing through thrombi that may form over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a catheter is left inserted in the patient for a prolonged period of time, then the catheter can be used for extended fluid infusion, but the catheter becomes more susceptible to narrowing, collapse, kinking, blockage by debris, and adhering of tip to the vasculature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs nested delivery devices where each delivery device contains a tubular instrument that can be advanced through the catheter. The delivery devices themselves are nested within each other, with larger delivery devices containing smaller ones, allowing sequential deployment of progressively longer tubular instruments to clear obstructions at different depths within the catheter lumen
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing a series of delivery devices with progressively longer tubular instruments before they are needed. When thrombus or debris forms in the catheter, the appropriate-length delivery device is already available to advance the tubular instrument through the obstruction, preventing complete catheter failure and maintaining patency without requiring removal and reinsertion
2Productivity
If blood withdrawal is attempted through a compromised catheter, then blood sample acquisition is needed, but additional needle sticks are required which cause patient discomfort and increased costs
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular instrument delivered through the catheter serves multiple functions: it can clear obstructions by being advanced through the catheter lumen, it can be used for blood withdrawal when the catheter tip is blocked, and it can maintain catheter patency during extended dwell periods. This single instrument replaces the need for separate needle sticks for blood collection
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular instrument acts as an intermediary between the compromised catheter and the blood collection system. When the catheter tip is blocked by thrombus or debris, the tubular instrument can be advanced beyond the obstruction to establish a new fluid pathway, serving as a mediator that restores blood flow without requiring removal of the original catheter or insertion of additional needles
3Duration of action of stationary object
If a tubular instrument is used to access vasculature via the catheter, then the catheter life is extended and blood withdrawal is enabled, but the delivery device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the delivery system into multiple independent delivery devices, each containing a tubular instrument of a specific length. Rather than one complex delivery system, multiple simpler delivery devices are provided, where each device is designed to deliver a tubular instrument appropriate for clearing obstructions at different depths within the catheter
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic adaptability by providing a series of delivery devices with progressively longer tubular instruments. The clinician can select and deploy the appropriate-length delivery device based on the depth and nature of the obstruction encountered, allowing the system to adapt to varying clinical scenarios without requiring a single overly complex delivery mechanism
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A method may include coupling a first delivery device to a catheter assembly, which may include a catheter dwelling within vasculature of a patient. The first delivery device may include a first tubular instrument. In response to the first tubular instrument being in a distal position, a distal surface of the first tubular instrument may be disposed at a first distance beyond the distal tip of the catheter. The method may include coupling a second delivery device to the catheter assembly after uncoupling the first delivery device from the catheter assembly. The second delivery device may include a second tubular instrument. In response to the second tubular instrument being in the distal position, a distal surface of the second tubular instrument may be disposed at a second distance beyond the distal tip of the catheter. The second distance may be greater than the first distance.