Percutaneous Retrieval System for Gallbladder Stone Fragmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating acute calculous cholecystitis and kidney stones often require invasive surgeries or are unsuitable for critically ill patients, lacking effective percutaneous solutions for removing solid deposits from the gallbladder or kidney.
Innovation Solution
A method and system involving percutaneous access, guidewire insertion, expandable occlusion, lithotripsy, and high-pressure flush to degrade and remove stones from internal organs, utilizing expandable elements and endoscopes for visualization and stone collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If percutaneous access and minimally invasive methods are used, then patient trauma and recovery time are reduced, but the ability to effectively remove large stones is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing large stones into smaller fragments through lithotripsy (mechanical, ultrasonic, or laser methods) before removal. This allows the percutaneous system to handle stones that would otherwise be too large for minimally invasive extraction, resolving the contradiction between minimal invasiveness and effective stone removal capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where multiple devices are contained within progressively larger sheaths. The lithotripsy device, separator, and other tools are advanced through nested sheaths to the treatment site, enabling complex stone fragmentation and removal procedures through a single small percutaneous access point, thus maintaining minimally invasive benefits while achieving comprehensive stone removal
2Productivity
If expandable elements are used to occlude exit channels, then stone removal is facilitated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamically expandable occlusion elements (balloons, umbrellas, or nets) that can be collapsed for delivery through small sheaths and then expanded at the target site to occlude exit channels or capture stones. This dynamic transformation allows the system to achieve effective stone removal while maintaining a compact delivery profile, resolving the contradiction between removal efficiency and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable occlusion elements serve as intermediaries between the percutaneous access system and the stone removal process. These elements are deployed to temporarily occlude exit channels or create containment zones, facilitating stone fragmentation and removal while protecting surrounding tissues, thus enabling efficient stone removal without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
3Productivity
If high-pressure flush and currents are used to move stones, then stone removal speed increases, but risk of tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by directing high-pressure flush and fluid currents specifically at the stones and stone fragments rather than indiscriminately throughout the organ. The system uses localized jet streams and controlled fluid dynamics to move stones into the sheath or separator while minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy tissue to high-velocity fluid, thus achieving fast stone removal while reducing tissue damage risk
4Reliability
If multiple procedural steps are used (lithotripsy, flushing, separator deployment), then complete stone removal is achieved, but procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing lithotripsy and stone fragmentation before removal attempts. By breaking down stones into smaller, more manageable fragments first, the system facilitates faster and more complete removal in subsequent steps. This preliminary fragmentation ensures that all stone material can be effectively captured by separators or flushed through the sheath, achieving complete removal without requiring excessive procedural steps or time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent maintains continuity of useful action by coordinating lithotripsy, flushing, and separator deployment in a seamless sequence. The system continuously progresses through the stone removal process without interruption - as stones are fragmented, they are immediately flushed or captured, eliminating idle time between steps. This continuous workflow achieves complete stone removal while minimizing total procedure time
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 minimally invasive, effective removal of stones from the gallbladder or kidney, suitable for both surgical and non-surgical candidates, reducing the need for invasive surgeries and improving treatment options for critically ill patients.
Implementation Method 1
expanding the expandable element to obstruct outflow from the internal organ through the exit channel
Implementation Method 2
applying a high-pressure flush from the end of the sheath and creating currents within the internal organ that carry the stones and/or fragments thereof into the sheath
Implementation Method 3
retracting the separator into the distal end of the sheath, thereby trapping the stones and/or fragments thereof within the sheath
Implementation Method 4
performing lithotripsy to degrade the stones into smaller fragments
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are devices, systems, and methods for the percutaneous removal of solid deposits from the gallbladder or kidney.