Retractable Blade Catheter for Active Lesion Scoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing balloon dilatation catheters face challenges in treating lesions due to elastic recoil and are contraindicated in narrow vessels or hard calcifications, lacking the ability to make variable cuts effectively.
Innovation Solution
A retractable cutter catheter with lateral openings and a push-pull wire actuator allows for bilateral or trilateral scoring/slicing of lesions, independent of catheter diameter, using blades that can be deployed and retracted without changing the catheter's size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a balloon is used for angioplasty, then the vessel can be dilated, but elastic recoil causes the tissue to revert to its original shape and the approach is contraindicated in narrow vessels or hard calcifications
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the cutting function into multiple independent blades that can be selectively deployed. Each blade acts as an independent cutting element, allowing the system to overcome elastic recoil by making discrete, controlled cuts rather than relying on balloon inflation. This segmentation enables effective treatment of hard calcifications and narrow vessels where balloon angioplasty fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The blades are made dynamically deployable and retractable through the push-pull wire mechanism. The blades can be pushed outward from the catheter body to perform scoring/slicing actions, then retracted for repositioning. This dynamic capability allows the device to adapt to different vessel configurations and lesion types, providing reliable treatment in narrow vessels and hard calcifications while maintaining the ability to perform multiple passes.
2Productivity
If multiple passes are made for active scoring, then lesion treatment efficacy is increased, but the complexity of the device and procedure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables the operator to perform multiple scoring passes through a simple self-service mechanism. The push-pull wire allows the blades to be automatically deployed and retracted without requiring complex mechanical systems. The operator can repeatedly advance and retract the catheter with minimal effort, making multiple passes to score lesions effectively while keeping the device relatively simple.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cutting depth is made variable, then adaptability to different lesions is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blade deployment depth is made dynamically adjustable through the push-pull wire mechanism. By controlling the degree to which the blades are pushed outward, the operator can vary the cutting depth to match different lesion characteristics. This dynamic adjustment is achieved through a simple linear mechanism rather than complex mechanical systems, maintaining adaptability while minimizing device complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~4C
Figure 4D~4E
AI summary
A catheter for actively scoring or slicing a lesion. A catheter body includes first and second lateral openings. A selectively deployable cutter is connected to the catheter body. The cutter has a retracted configuration in which it does not perform a slicing or scoring function, such as while tracking through the vasculature, and a deployed configuration for slicing or scoring an obstruction. The cutter may include a plurality of retractable blades, such that when deployed, each blade projects in a different direction, such as from one of the lateral openings. Related methods are also disclosed.