Plasma Guide Wire Distal Tip Resistance Gradient
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plasma guide wires for vascular and other bodily systems face challenges in localized ablation due to uniform electric field intensity around the energy delivery electrode, leading to unintended tissue ablation outside the target site.
Innovation Solution
A plasma guide wire design featuring a conductive core shaft, a conductive coil body, and a distal tip with a proximal end side region and a distal end side region, where the distal end side region has a lower electric resistance value, allowing for concentrated plasma generation and enhanced electric field intensity at the distal end side region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a high voltage is applied to the energy delivery electrode with uniform surface area, then the discharge phenomenon occurs uniformly over the entire electrode, but the electric field intensity becomes uniform causing unintended tissue ablation outside the target site
Solution Approach 1:
The distal tip is designed with non-uniform surface area, where the distal end side region has a smaller surface area than the proximal end side region. This creates localized high electric field intensity at the distal end side region, concentrating plasma generation at the target site and preventing unintended tissue ablation while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard electrode fabrication techniques
2Reliability
If the entire energy delivery electrode surface is used for discharge, then the ablation coverage is maximized, but the insulating member durability is reduced due to uniform electric field intensity causing widespread damage
Solution Approach 1:
By concentrating the discharge phenomenon at the distal end side region with smaller surface area, the electric field intensity is localized rather than distributed uniformly. This protects the insulating member from widespread damage while maintaining sufficient ablation coverage at the target site through the concentrated plasma generation
3Manufacturing precision
If a non-uniform surface area distal tip is used to concentrate plasma generation, then ablation localization is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The distal tip incorporates a distal end side region with smaller surface area than the proximal end side region, creating the necessary non-uniformity for concentrated plasma generation. This structural variation achieves ablation localization while remaining compatible with standard electrode manufacturing processes, avoiding excessive device 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
This configuration enables localized ablation at the target site while preventing unintended tissue ablation, improving the durability of the guide wire by reducing damage to insulating members and enhancing manufacturing cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
streamer corona discharge is generated around the energy delivery electrode, and this streamer corona discharge can ablate a living body tissue in the vicinity of the energy delivery electrode
Implementation Method 2
an energy generator that outputs electric power to each of these electrodes
Implementation Method 3
a living body tissue is ablated (cauterized) using a plasma flow
Data Source
AI summary
A plasma guide wire includes a conductive core shaft configured to be connected to a high-frequency generator, a conductive coil body that surrounds a part of the core shaft on a distal end side of the core shaft, and a distal tip that includes a conductive material and fixes a distal end of the core shaft and a distal end of the coil body, the distal tip being configured to receive a high frequency wave from the high-frequency generator via the core shaft. An outer surface of the distal tip includes (i) a proximal end side region located on a side of the coil body and (ii) a distal end side region located distally relative to the proximal end side region. The distal end side region has an electric resistance value that is lower than an electric resistance value of the proximal end side region.