Reversible Stent Loading Device with Grooved Lumen
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for loading expandable stents into delivery catheters are complex and unreliable, requiring a simple and efficient solution to facilitate their loading without causing damage or fragmentation during the process.
Innovation Solution
A loading device with a body having a lumen that can accommodate the expandable stent in its collapsed configuration, featuring a reversible design with alignment features and a distal tip configured to couple with hemostatic valves, allowing for easy alignment and insertion of the stent into the catheter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If current methods for loading expandable stents into delivery catheters are used, then the stent can be loaded into the catheter, but the process is complex and unreliable, causing damage or fragmentation during loading
Solution Approach 1:
The loading device is divided into two separable portions: a first portion with a first groove and a second portion with a second groove. These portions can be assembled together to form the complete loading device, allowing for easier handling and reduced complexity during the loading process while maintaining reliability through the structured segmentation of functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The loading device acts as an intermediary tool between the expandable stent and the delivery catheter. It provides a controlled environment for collapsing and loading the stent, preventing direct contact that could cause damage or fragmentation, thereby improving loading reliability without increasing operational complexity.
2Ease of operation
If a loading device with alignment features is used, then alignment and insertion of the stent into the catheter is easier, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The loading device incorporates asymmetric alignment features including a first groove in the first portion and a second groove in the second portion. These grooves are specifically shaped and positioned to guide the stent into correct alignment during insertion, making the operation easier while the asymmetric design itself is integrated into the basic structure rather than adding separate complex components.
Data Source
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Figure 5A~5B
AI summary
A loading device for loading a medical device into a catheter is provided. The loading device comprises a body having a lumen to receive an expandable portion of a medical device. The lumen has a length as the expandable portion when the latter is in a collapsed configuration and has a diameter that is greater than the collapsed configuration. The body comprises a first portion and a second portion that are reversibly separable to expose the lumen in an open configuration and enclose the lumen in a closed configuration. The first and second portions each comprise an inner face having a groove defining a first portion of the lumen and a second portion of the lumen, respectively. The body also has a distal tip portion to reversibly couple with a hemostatic valve of a delivery catheter. A method of loading a medical device into a catheter is also provided.