Outer Catheter 3D Bending for Coaxial TAVR Valve Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheters in delivery systems for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) lack active three-dimensional steerability, leading to potential vascular damage and difficulty in ensuring the annulus is coplanar with the aortic arch, complicating coaxial adjustment and valve release.
Innovation Solution
An outer catheter with axially bend-resistant portions and a circumferential angular deflection mechanism allows for flexible three-dimensional bending, enabling smooth passage through complex lumens and maintaining the valvular annulus in the same plane as the aortic arch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the catheter relies on passive bending by reaction force from the vascular wall, then the catheter can advance through the aortic arch, but this causes damage to the blood vessel wall and vascular complications
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates an active steering mechanism that allows dynamic control of the catheter's bending direction and angle. The proximal section can be actively steered to follow the desired path through the aortic arch, replacing passive reaction-force-based advancement with active controlled navigation, thereby reducing vascular wall damage while maintaining advancement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the passive mechanical reliance on vascular wall reaction forces with an active steering mechanism that provides controlled bending. This substitution allows the catheter to navigate through the aortic arch using controlled directional changes rather than uncontrolled passive bending, reducing harmful effects on the vascular wall
2Device complexity
If the catheter lacks active steerability, then the catheter structure remains simple, but it becomes difficult to ensure the annulus is coplanar with the aortic arch, complicating coaxial adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter includes an active steering mechanism in the proximal section that enables dynamic adjustment of the catheter's spatial orientation. This allows operators to actively control the catheter's bending to achieve coplanarity between the annulus and aortic arch, significantly improving coaxial adjustment capability while adding controlled complexity to the device
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces adjustable bending parameters in the proximal section of the catheter, allowing operators to modify the catheter's spatial configuration. This parameter control enables precise adjustment of the catheter angle and orientation to achieve proper coaxial alignment during valve deployment, transforming the fixed-configuration limitation into a可调 (adjustable) system
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The present application relates to an outer catheter, a delivery component and a delivery system. A main catheter body comprises an axial lumen and includes an outer-catheter bendable section and an outer-catheter push section along an axial direction. The outer-catheter bendable section has a first axially bend-resistant portion extending along the axial direction. The first axially bend-resistant portion is configured to resist bending of the outer-catheter bendable section along an axial plane where the first axially bend-resistant portion is located. The outer-catheter push section has a second axially bend-resistant portion extending along the axial direction. The second axially bend-resistant portion is configured to resist bending of the outer-catheter push section along an axial plane where the second axially bend-resistant portion is located. An angle may be formed between the axial planes of the first and second axially bend-resistant portions. With this arrangement, a circumferential angular deflection can be created between the first and second axially bend-resistant portions of the outer catheter to allow the two to bend in different planes, enabling three-dimensional bending of the outer catheter, and smooth passage through different vessel lumens of different shapes in the body.