Rotatable Basket Catheter Spines Reduce Stress Concentrations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing basket catheters for treating cardiac arrhythmias are bulky, difficult to insert, and prone to spine breakage due to stress concentrations during configuration changes, which limits their effectiveness and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A medical probe with an expandable basket assembly comprising a first plurality of spines coupled to a tubular shaft and a second plurality of spines that are rotatably attached, allowing the basket to transition between expanded and collapsed configurations using a push rod, reducing stress concentrations and improving insertion ease.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional basket catheter design with multiple spines is used, then the catheter can perform ablation functions, but the catheter becomes bulky and difficult to insert through the insertion catheter
Solution Approach 1:
The basket catheter design allows the spines to nest within each other when collapsed, similar to nested dolls. The first spine is positioned within the second spine, and the third spine within the fourth spine, creating a compact configuration that reduces the overall volume and facilitates easy insertion through the insertion catheter while maintaining the ability to expand for ablation functions
2Ease of operation
If the basket catheter is designed to be compact for easy insertion, then insertion ease improves, but the spines become prone to breaking due to stress concentrations during configuration changes
Solution Approach 1:
The basket catheter employs a dynamic hinge mechanism that allows controlled rotation between spines during expansion and collapse. This dynamic joint design distributes stress evenly across the hinge points rather than creating stress concentrations at fixed connections, enabling the spines to flex and adapt during configuration changes without breaking while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is divided into modular segments (spines) that can independently rotate at hinge points. This segmentation allows each spine to move relative to others during expansion and collapse, distributing mechanical stress across multiple hinge joints rather than concentrating it at single attachment points, thereby preventing spine breakage
3Stability of the object's composition
If the basket catheter uses fixed spine connections, then structural stability is maintained, but the catheter cannot easily transition between expanded and collapsed configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism transforms the static fixed connections into dynamic rotating joints. These hinges allow the spines to rotate relative to each other, enabling easy transition between expanded and collapsed configurations while maintaining structural stability when in either configuration. The hinge design provides inherent mechanical stability through its geometric constraints
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 enhances the basket catheter's ability to transition between configurations without breaking, facilitating more effective and reliable procedures for treating cardiac arrhythmias by reducing the likelihood of spine damage and improving maneuverability.
Implementation Method 1
The second plurality of spines can be biased to bow distally with respect to the first plurality of spines to cause the expandable basket assembly to transition to an expanded configuration
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed technology includes a medical probe comprising a tubular shaft including a proximal end and a distal end and an expandable basket assembly coupled to the distal end of the tubular shaft. The basket assembly can comprise a first plurality of spines coupled to the distal end of the tubular shaft and a second plurality of spines, each spine of the second plurality of spines rotatably coupled to a respective spine of the first plurality of spines. The basket assembly can include a plurality of electrodes attached to at least the second plurality of spines and a push rod connected to a distal end of the second plurality of spines. The push rod can be configured to slide longitudinally between a proximal position and a distal position to transition the expandable basket assembly between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration.