Retrieval Device Dynamic Loop and Dual-Lumen Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical retrieval devices are complex, bulky, and prone to failure due to numerous components and labor-intensive manufacturing processes, with limited ability to accurately measure the size of objects like kidney stones during procedures.
Innovation Solution
A retrieval device with a sheath and support members that transition between contracted and expanded states, featuring movable members and a mechanism to form a distally-facing loop for capturing objects, and a method to estimate stone size using visual markers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the front loop size of the end effector is increased to capture larger objects, then the capturing capability is improved, but the profile of the device increases making insertion and withdrawal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The end effector is designed to dynamically change its configuration between a low-profile closed state for insertion and a large expanded state for capturing objects. The support members are movable relative to the sheath, allowing the front loop to expand to capture large objects and then collapse back to a compact state for easy withdrawal, thus resolving the contradiction between capturing capability and device profile.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of components in the retrieval device is increased to improve functionality, then the versatility is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The retrieval device is designed with multi-functional components that perform multiple operations. The support members with dual lumens serve both structural support and guidewire passage functions. The end effector can capture, secure, and retrieve various types of objects (concretions, device components, foreign matter) using the same basic mechanism, reducing the need for multiple specialized components while maintaining versatility.
3Strength
If traditional joining mechanisms are used to assemble the retrieval device, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the profile increases and the joining points become weak
Solution Approach 1:
The support members are integrated directly with the sheath structure, eliminating the need for separate joining mechanisms. The proximal ends of the support members are attached to the distal end of the sheath in a unified construction, which maintains structural integrity while avoiding the profile increase and weak points associated with traditional joining methods like connectors or fasteners.
Data Source
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AI summary
A retrieval device (10) having a contracted state and an expanded state may include a sheath (12; 104), and at least three support members (26, 28, 30; 158, 160, 162) each having at least two lumens, a proximal end fixed to the sheath (12; 104), and a distal end movable relative to the sheath (12; 104). The retrieval device (10) may also include at least three movable members (18, 20, 22; 152, 154, 156) movable relative to the support members (26, 28, 30; 158, 160, 162). Each movable member (18, 20, 22; 152, 154, 156) may extend through a lumen of one support member of the at least three support members (26, 28, 30; 158, 160, 162) and through a lumen of a different support member of the at least three support members (26, 28, 30; 158, 160, 162).