Retrograde Flow Catheter with Angled Lateral Conduits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vascular catheters often lead to complications such as thrombosis, infection, and increased healthcare costs due to blood stasis and fibrin sheath formation, with existing solutions failing to effectively prevent these issues.
Innovation Solution
An anti-thrombotic vascular retrograde flow catheter design featuring a tubular main body with lateral conduits angled between 15° to 60° to the longitudinal axis, which facilitate retrograde fluid flow to prevent stasis and thrombosis, using an elastomeric cover that opens with fluid flow and closes when stopped, and a collapsible tip to direct fluid through these conduits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional vascular catheter is used with antegrade insertion, then the insertion is simple and straightforward, but blood stasis and fibrin sheath formation occur leading to thrombosis
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs retrograde lateral conduits that direct fluid flow opposite to the conventional antegrade direction, creating backward flow to prevent blood stasis and fibrin sheath formation at the catheter-vessel interface, thereby resolving the thrombosis problem while maintaining simple insertion
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the catheter remains in place for extended periods, then patient convenience is improved, but fibrin sheath accumulation and thrombosis risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The retrograde flow mechanism operates continuously whenever fluid is infused through the catheter, constantly preventing fibrin sheath accumulation and blood stasis, thereby enabling extended catheter retention without increasing thrombosis risk
3Reliability
If systemic anticoagulant prophylaxis is administered, then thrombosis prevention is attempted, but the treatment is largely ineffective and increases healthcare burden
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter structure itself provides thrombosis prevention through its retrograde flow design, eliminating the need for systemic anticoagulant medications and their associated complications, thereby achieving reliable thrombosis prevention without additional healthcare burden
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
The design significantly reduces catheter-related thrombosis, associated complications, and hospital stay duration, while maintaining the conventional antegrade insertion technique, thereby enhancing patient recovery and reducing healthcare burdens.
Implementation Method 1
an elastomeric cover over each lateral conduit, said elastomeric cover opens with a fluid flow inside the catheter and closes when the fluid flow stops
Implementation Method 2
The retrograde flow of the infused fluid will decrease the blood stasis in the peri-catheter region
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a an anti-thrombotic medical instrument and catheter medical instrument comprising: base with a port for connection to an infusion set; a catheter extending from the base, and comprises a main body of tubular configuration. a plurality of lateral conduits distributed along the length of the catheter; an elastomeric cover over each lateral conduit, said elastomeric cover opens with a fluid flow inside the catheter and closes when the fluid flow stops. Said lateral conduits have an angle in the range of 15° to 60° to the longitudinal axis of the catheter.