Proximal Link Wire Slack for Preventing Premature Implant Detachment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current catheter-based delivery systems experience premature detachment of implants due to increased friction and tortuosity in the vasculature, leading to improper deployment of medical devices.
Innovation Solution
A delivery system with a link wire and pull wire configuration, featuring a slack length to prevent premature detachment, where the link wire is welded to a pull tube and includes a loop at its distal end, secured by a proximal bend in the pull wire, ensuring the implant remains attached until it reaches the target site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional pull wire system is used to deploy implants, then the implant can be delivered through the vasculature, but the implant may detach prematurely due to friction and tortuosity
Solution Approach 1:
The pull wire is divided into multiple segments: a proximal segment, a distal segment, and a critical bend region connecting them. This segmentation allows the wire to accommodate tortuous vasculature while maintaining secure implant retention, preventing premature detachment caused by friction in curved vessels.
Solution Approach 2:
The pull wire is pre-formed with a specific bend geometry and tension characteristics before deployment. This preliminary configuration ensures that the wire can navigate tortuous vasculature and maintain adequate tension on the implant throughout delivery, preventing premature release due to friction-induced slack.
2Reliability
If the pull wire is made taut to prevent detachment, then implant retention improves, but the system becomes more sensitive to friction in tortuous vasculature
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the pull wire have different mechanical properties: the proximal and distal segments are designed with specific stiffness and diameter to maintain tension, while the bend region is configured with optimized geometry to navigate tortuosity. This local differentiation allows the wire to maintain implant retention without requiring uniform tension throughout, reducing sensitivity to friction in curved vessels.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the delivery system navigates tortuous vasculature, then the implant can reach distant target sites, but friction increases causing pull wire movement and premature detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The pull wire system is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to adapt to varying vessel geometries during delivery. The wire can flex and bend to navigate tortuous paths while maintaining adequate tension on the implant, preventing premature detachment even when navigating complex vasculature to reach distant target sites.
Data Source
AI summary
Various systems and methods of deploying an implant to a target location of a body vessel are disclosed. A delivery system can include a delivery tube and a pull tube, the pull tube at least partially disposed within a first lumen of the delivery tube. A link wire with two proximal ends can be welded to the pull tube and a distal end of the link wire can include a link wire loop. A pull wire can extend through the first lumen with a distal end positioned to secure the implant to the delivery system. The pull wire includes a proximal bend positioned around the link wire loop such that the proximal bend is positioned in a proximal direction relative to the distal end of the link wire loop by a slack length. The slack length is effective to prevent premature detachment of the implant from the delivery system.