Plaque Tack Intravascular Device for Atherosclerotic Plaque Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stent technologies for treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease face issues such as recurrent stenosis, material stress leading to fractures, and excessive foreign body reaction, which result in reduced long-term success and increased complications like acute occlusion and stent failure.
Innovation Solution
A thin, annular band of durable, flexible material called the plaque tack, equipped with barbs or anchoring elements, is deployed intravascularly to securely press and hold atherosclerotic plaque against the blood vessel walls, minimizing foreign scaffolding and reducing the need for extensive stent placement, thereby addressing the limitations of traditional stents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stents are placed to hold open the artery after angioplasty, then acute occlusion is prevented, but recurrent stenosis and foreign body reactions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is divided into multiple individual elements or struts that are spaced apart, creating a segmented structure. This segmentation reduces the continuous foreign body surface area contacting the vessel wall, thereby decreasing the inflammatory response and recurrent stenosis while still providing adequate structural support to prevent acute occlusion.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent design incorporates varying strut thicknesses, densities, and configurations in different segments along the stent length. Areas with higher plaque burden or dissection risk have denser strut placement for enhanced support, while healthier segments have sparser struts to minimize foreign body reaction and allow natural vessel healing.
2Reliability
If extensive stent placement is used to treat plaque, then vessel lumen is maintained, but material stress and fractures increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stent incorporates flexible, dynamically adaptable elements that can bend and flex with vessel movement rather than maintaining rigid fixed positions. The interconnected struts are designed with controlled flexibility to accommodate physiological vessel motion, reducing stress concentration and preventing material fatigue fractures while maintaining lumen patency.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent utilizes materials and structural parameters optimized for stress distribution, such as varying strut cross-sectional areas, wall thicknesses, and connection geometries. These parameter variations allow the stent to distribute mechanical stresses more evenly across the structure, preventing localized stress concentrations that lead to fractures.
3Reliability
If traditional stents are used, then plaque is held against vessel wall, but excessive foreign scaffolding is created
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts only the essential function of plaque stabilization without implementing a continuous tubular scaffold. Individual stent elements are positioned selectively at discrete locations where plaque burden or dissection risk exists, removing unnecessary foreign material from healthy vessel segments while maintaining adequate plaque control.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than providing complete circumferential and longitudinal coverage with dense stent structure, the design uses partial action by placing stent elements only where clinically indicated. This selective placement provides sufficient plaque stabilization and dissection control while minimizing the quantity of foreign material implanted in the vessel.
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
The plaque tack effectively maintains vessel lumen without the disadvantages of stents, reducing recurrent stenosis, material stress, and foreign body reactions, while allowing for targeted treatment of plaque accumulation sites with minimal axial length and reduced material usage, enhancing the durability and flexibility of treated arteries.
Implementation Method 1
The plaque tack is dimensioned and designed to be applied with a spring force against the plaque to press and hold it against the blood vessel walls
Implementation Method 2
The barbs or anchoring elements are embedded into or at least emplaced in physical contact against the plaque by the spring force so that the plaque tack is retained securely in position
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular device for treating atherosclerotic occlusive disease can include an annular band defining a longitudinal axis between proximal and distal ends. The annular band can have a plurality of barbs on its outer periphery. One or more intravascular devices may be applied in positions along a plaque accumulation site as needed to stabilize the site and/or hold pieces of plaque out of the way of blood flow. The barbs may be pressed into the plaque and/or blood vessel walls.