Minimally Invasive Coronary Bypass via Percutaneous Aortic Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for performing coronary artery bypass graft procedures are invasive and require cardiopulmonary bypass, leading to significant trauma, long recovery times, and high costs.

Innovation Solution

A minimally invasive percutaneous method involving catheter delivery into the aorta, forming a hemostatic connection, and creating a controlled opening to access the thoracic region for performing coronary bypass graft procedures without cardiopulmonary bypass, using techniques like CT guidance and magnetic catheters for precise manipulation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If open surgical techniques are used for coronary bypass graft procedure, then the procedure effectiveness is improved, but patient trauma and recovery time increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedure effectivenessVSAvoidpatient trauma

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The procedure is divided into separate functional components: catheter delivery system, hemostatic connection mechanism, controlled opening creation, and bypass graft installation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while minimizing overall invasiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A catheter acts as an intermediary tool to access the thoracic region and heart through a controlled opening in the aorta and pericardium, eliminating the need for direct open surgical access to the heart while still enabling bypass graft installation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If open surgical techniques are used for coronary bypass graft procedure, then the procedure effectiveness is improved, but hospitalization duration and recovery time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedure effectivenessVSAvoidrecovery time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The heart is extracted from the conventional open surgical environment and operated on through a minimally invasive percutaneous approach, removing the need for sternotomy and chest spreading, thereby reducing recovery time while maintaining procedural effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The catheter is delivered percutaneously into the aorta first, establishing a controlled opening and hemostatic connection before performing the bypass graft procedure, allowing the heart to remain beating and eliminating the need for postoperative intensive care unit admission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Object-affected harmful factors

If thorascopic techniques are used for coronary bypass, then morbidity and cost are decreased, but the procedure still requires stopping the heart and using cardiopulmonary bypass

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovemorbidityVSAvoidcardiopulmonary bypass requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of stopping the heart to perform the bypass graft, the approach is inverted by delivering the catheter through a controlled opening in the beating heart, allowing the procedure to be performed on a moving, beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The mechanical system of cardiopulmonary bypass is replaced by a percutaneous catheter-based system that creates a controlled opening in the aorta and pericardium to access the thoracic region directly, eliminating the need for external cardiopulmonary support devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

This approach reduces morbidity, mortality, and recovery time, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional surgical methods by allowing coronary bypass procedures to be conducted on a beating heart without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass.

Implementation Method 1

forming a hemostatic connection between the at least one catheter and an inner wall of the aorta

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHemostatic connection:

Implementation Method 2

percutaneously delivering at least one catheter into an aorta of the heart

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPercutaneous delivery:

Implementation Method 3

creating an aperture through the aorta and pericardium, said aperture being bounded by the hemostatic connection

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectControlled opening formation:

Data Source

PatentUS10960188B2Devices and methods for minimally invasive coronary bypass and other treatments

Publication Date: 2021.03.30 ACCESS FLOW SYSTEMS LLC

AI summary

Treatment methods and devices are provided for percutaneously accessing a patient's thoracic region via a controlled opening in the aorta, so that cardiac procedures, such as a coronary bypass procedure, can be performed in a minimally invasive manner. Advantageously, it may be possible to perform the procedure without placing the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass. The method may include percutaneously delivering at least one catheter into an aorta of a heart, forming a controlled opening in the aorta and pericardium via the at least one catheter to access a thoracic region within the patient's chest, and performing at least one coronary bypass graft procedure through the controlled opening.