Prosthetic Line Pull Assembly with Detent Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Endovascular delivery devices require significant expertise and experience for operation, and there is a need for intuitive and foolproof mechanisms to ensure accurate placement and prevent misuse or damage during the deployment of endografts in vascular systems.
Innovation Solution
A line pull assembly with a rail assembly and a hand-gripable slider assembly that includes a release ring, allowing for sliding movement along a longitudinal axis, with detent pairs to lock and unlock positions, facilitating the transfer of pulling forces through a pullable line or wire, enhancing the ease of operation and safety of endograft deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional delivery device is used, then the prosthesis can be delivered to the desired site, but the device requires significant expertise and experience to operate correctly
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery device is divided into distinct functional modules: an outer sheath, an inner catheter, and a prosthesis retention mechanism. Each component has a specific function and can be manipulated independently, reducing the cognitive load on the operator and making the overall device easier to control despite its complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The prosthesis is pre-loaded onto the inner catheter in a compressed state within the delivery device before reaching the target site. The outer sheath is pre-positioned to retain the prosthesis in the delivery configuration. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex assembly steps at the deployment site, reducing operational difficulty.
2Ease of operation
If manual operations are performed outside the body, then the prosthesis can be deployed, but the sequencing of operations requires significant expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery device incorporates dynamic elements such as a movable outer sheath that can be retracted relative to the inner catheter, and a prosthesis retention mechanism that transitions from a locked to an unlocked state. These dynamic features allow for controlled, sequential deployment where certain actions must occur in a specific order, providing tactile feedback that guides correct operation sequencing.
Solution Approach 2:
A pull wire or actuation mechanism serves as an intermediary between the operator's external manipulations and the internal deployment mechanisms. By pulling on this external element, the operator indirectly controls the retraction of the outer sheath and the release of the prosthesis, ensuring that operations occur in the correct sequence without requiring direct manipulation of multiple internal components.
3Reliability
If the delivery device is made robust against misuse, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery device incorporates safety features such as a prosthesis retention mechanism with detent positions that prevent accidental release, and an outer sheath that is designed to resist unintended retraction. These cushioning measures are built into the device structure beforehand, providing passive protection against misuse without requiring complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery device provides tactile and mechanical feedback to the operator during manipulation. For example, the outer sheath has predetermined resistance zones that indicate when the prosthesis is properly positioned, and the retention mechanism has distinct locked and unlocked states that are mechanically distinguishable. This feedback loop helps prevent misuse by immediately alerting the operator to incorrect positioning or activation attempts.
Data Source
AI summary
A line pull assembly for a prosthetic delivery device includes a rail assembly defining a rail cavity, a longitudinal axis and a hand-gripable slider assembly. The slider is mounted to the rail assembly for sliding movement along it. The slider has a body slidably mounted to the rail assembly, the body having an inner body portion within the rail cavity. A line receiver for receiving a pullable line sits within the inner body portion. A release ring is mounted around the rail assembly and is operably connected to the inner body portion. The slider is locked against sliding movement until the release ring is moved the unlocked position. In the unlocked position, the inner body portion is slideably moveable by sliding movement of the release ring to transfer a pulling force through the line receiver.