Percutaneous Catheter Ladder-Lock Fixation for Stable Pump Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheter fixation devices for intracardiac pumps face challenges in maintaining stable positioning due to patient movement, leading to inefficiencies and potential damage, as conventional securement methods like Tuohy-Borst type devices are cumbersome and difficult to transition between unlocked and locked positions.
Innovation Solution
A catheter fixation apparatus featuring a ladder-lock mechanism with pivotable rails and rungs, allowing for quick transition between unlocked and locked positions, secured to the patient's skin via adhesive or sutures, and optionally using a fastener or latch for stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional securement methods like Tuohy-Borst type devices are used, then the catheter can be secured to the patient, but the device is cumbersome and difficult to transition between unlocked and locked positions
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation device employs a dynamic ladder-lock mechanism where the rails can pivot between locked and unlocked positions. The rungs are configured to engage with the catheter and provide mechanical locking when the rails are in the locked position, while allowing free movement when unlocked. This dynamic structure enables easy transition between states without complex operational procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixation device is segmented into distinct functional components: pivotable rails, rungs for catheter engagement, a base for skin attachment, and optional fasteners or latches. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall operation and enabling easy transition between locked and unlocked states by manipulating individual segments rather than a monolithic complex device.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the catheter is allowed to move freely for repositioning, then the physician can adjust the intracardiac pump position, but the catheter becomes unstable and may migrate within the cardiovascular system
Solution Approach 1:
The device provides dynamic positioning control, allowing the catheter to be freely movable when the rails are in the unlocked position for repositioning purposes. Once the desired position is achieved, the rails can be pivoted to the locked position where the rungs mechanically engage with the catheter, providing immediate stabilization and preventing migration. This dynamic transition between mobile and fixed states resolves the contradiction between repositioning flexibility and positioning stability.
3Reliability
If a secure locking mechanism is implemented to prevent catheter migration, then the catheter is stabilized, but the device becomes more complex and harder to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The ladder-lock mechanism is designed to be self-locking through its structural configuration. When the rails are pivoted to the locked position, the rungs automatically engage with the catheter and the geometry of the structure provides inherent mechanical locking without requiring additional complex fastening operations. The device essentially locks itself through the natural interaction of its components, simplifying operation while maintaining reliable stabilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The rungs serve as intermediary elements between the rails and the catheter. These rungs provide the mechanical engagement point that translates the pivoting motion of the rails into a secure locking action on the catheter. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the overall locking operation by providing a clear, straightforward engagement path rather than requiring complex multi-step locking procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A stabilization device for securing a catheter within cardiovascular system of a patient. The stabilization device includes a base defining a skin contacting surface, and a ladder-lock coupled to the base. The ladder-lock includes a pair of rails and one or more rungs extending between the rails, each of the rails being pivotably attached to the base such that the ladder-lock is pivotable from an unlocked position in which the catheter is slidable within the cardiovascular system of the patient and a locked position in which the catheter is fixed relative to the cardiovascular system.