Leadless Pacemaker Docking Member for Delivery and Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current leadless cardiac pacemakers lack efficient delivery and retrieval mechanisms, making it difficult to implant and remove these devices from the heart chamber effectively.
Innovation Solution
The development of a leadless cardiac pacemaker with a docking member that includes a head portion and a neck portion, facilitating delivery and retrieval through a snare mechanism, and a fixation mechanism such as hooks or helical anchors for secure attachment to the heart tissue, along with a delivery device that can apply rotational motion for anchoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a leadless cardiac pacemaker is designed as a small capsule with fixation mechanism, then the device can be implanted in the heart chamber, but it lacks efficient delivery and retrieval mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pacemaker device is divided into distinct functional segments: a head portion for engagement, a neck portion for connection, and a body portion containing the capsule. This segmentation allows the delivery device to engage only the head and neck portions for delivery and retrieval operations, while the capsule body remains compact and implantable, thus improving operational ease without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A delivery device acts as an intermediary tool that engages with the pacemaker's head and neck portions during implantation and retrieval. This intermediary mechanism provides the necessary manipulation capabilities (pushing, pulling, rotational motion) without requiring the pacemaker itself to be overly complex, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
2Reliability
If a fixation mechanism is added to secure the pacemaker to heart tissue, then attachment security is improved, but the complexity of implantation procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through rotational motion applied by the delivery device. As the delivery device rotates the pacemaker, the fixation mechanism automatically engages with the heart tissue without requiring additional manual intervention or complex activation procedures. This self-service approach improves attachment security while minimizing the increase in implantation procedure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation mechanism is pre-configured in a compressed or retracted state during delivery, allowing the pacemaker to be positioned at the implantation site first. Once positioned, rotational motion is applied to activate the fixation mechanism, which then automatically secures itself to the heart tissue. This preliminary preparation simplifies the overall implantation procedure by separating positioning from fixation actions.
3Ease of operation
If a docking member with head and neck portions is implemented, then delivery and retrieval operations are facilitated, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The docking member with head and neck portions serves multiple functions: it acts as an engagement interface for the delivery device, provides a structural connection point, and facilitates both delivery and retrieval operations through a single integrated structure. This multi-functionality improves ease of operation for various procedures while avoiding the need for separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device structure complexity.
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
Enables safe and efficient delivery and retrieval of leadless cardiac pacemakers, ensuring secure attachment and detachment from the heart tissue, thereby improving the implantation and maintenance procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a delivery device that can apply rotational motion for anchoring
Data Source
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AI summary
An implantable leadless cardiac pacing device and associated delivery and retrieval devices. The implantable device includes a docking member extending from the proximal end of the housing of the implantable device configured to engage with the delivery and/or retrieval device to facilitate delivery and/or retrieval of the implantable leadless cardiac pacing device.