Reflective Catheter Tip for Intravascular Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intravascular operations lack direct visual contact, making it difficult to properly position instruments like needle injectors, and existing imaging modalities face challenges in aligning their energy fields with the target area and instruments within the vasculature.
Innovation Solution
A navigation system comprising a guide catheter with a reflective distal tip and an imaging unit that radiates an energy field radially, allowing for the visualization of the catheter tip and enabling precise positioning and advancement of needles or wires through the vasculature by adjusting the energy field's alignment with the reflective tip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an imaging modality is used to position an instrument in the vasculature, then visualization capability is improved, but the complexity of aligning the energy field with both the target area and the instrument increases
Solution Approach 1:
A reflective element is introduced as an intermediary between the imaging modality's energy field and the catheter tip. This reflective element acts as a mediator that reflects the energy field back to the imaging sensor, enabling visualization without requiring direct alignment between the energy field and the catheter tip, thus reducing alignment complexity while maintaining visualization capability
Solution Approach 2:
The reflective element changes the direction of the energy field by reflection, analogous to how color changes affect light. This allows the energy field to be redirected back to the imaging sensor, enabling the imaging modality to detect the catheter tip position without requiring direct line-of-sight alignment between the energy field source and the target
2Measurement precision
If the distal tip of the catheter is made reflective for better visualization, then detection precision is improved, but the structural complexity of the catheter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective property is extracted as a separate, distinct element attached to or integrated with the catheter tip, rather than requiring the entire catheter structure to be complex. This allows the reflective function to be achieved with a simple, localized component, improving detection precision while minimizing increases in overall catheter structural complexity
3Area of stationary object
If the imaging unit radiates energy field radially from the catheter axis, then coverage of the target area is improved, but the difficulty of intercepting the catheter tip with the energy field increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective element serves as an intermediary that captures the radially radiated energy field and redirects it back toward the imaging sensor. This allows the imaging unit to detect the catheter tip position even when radiating energy radially for broad coverage, as the reflective element ensures some portion of the energy field is intercepted and returned to the sensor
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 accurate visualization and positioning of needles or wires within the vasculature, facilitating effective delivery of biologics to specific sites, such as the heart, while being simple to manufacture and cost-effective.
Implementation Method 1
the imaging unit radiates an energy field in a substantially radial direction from the axis of the guide catheter for the purpose of locating the tip
Data Source
AI summary
A system for advancing a needle through a vasculature to an injection site at the heart of a patient includes a guide catheter with a reflective distal tip. Also included is an imaging unit that is mounted on the catheter to radiate an energy field. Structurally, a distal portion of the catheter is biased to bend into a predetermined configuration that will position the distal end of the catheter for interception by the energy field. If necessary, coincidence of the reflective tip with the energy field is established by moving the energy field along the length of the guide catheter. With coincidence, the reflective tip reflects a signal that is useful for advancement of the needle from the guide catheter and into the injection site.