Rotating Endovascular Helical Cage for Vessel-Wall Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Chronic vascular obstructions become more rigid and adhered to the vasculature, making standard atherectomy and thrombectomy tools less effective, and increasing their aggressiveness to improve efficacy risks damaging the treated vessel.
Innovation Solution
An intravascular therapy device with a helical cage that is rotated into the vascular occlusion, providing a safety barrier between the treatment tool and the blood vessel wall, allowing for the use of debulking tools like mechanical cutters or laser catheters while protecting the vessel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the aggressiveness of the tool is increased to improve efficacy in treating chronic vascular obstructions, then the effectiveness of treatment is improved, but the risk of damaging the treated vessel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a safety cage as an intermediary component between the treatment tool and the blood vessel wall. The cage is positioned around the treatment tool, creating a protective barrier that allows aggressive treatment to be applied to the obstruction while preventing direct contact with and damage to the vessel wall. This mediator structure enables the use of more aggressive treatment tools without proportionally increasing the risk to the vessel.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If standard atherectomy and thrombectomy tools are used to treat chronic vascular obstructions, then the safety of the vessel is maintained, but the effectiveness of treatment decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety cage acts as a mediator that enables the use of more effective treatment tools by isolating them from the vessel wall. Without the cage, only gentle tools could be used to avoid damage; with the cage, aggressive tools can be employed safely, thereby resolving the contradiction between safety and effectiveness.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a safety barrier is introduced between the treatment tool and blood vessel wall, then the protection of the vessel is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety cage is designed to be nested around the treatment tool, with both components delivered through the same catheter. The cage collapses during delivery and expands at the treatment site, enveloping the treatment tool. This nested configuration provides protection without requiring separate delivery systems or significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety cage is designed with dynamic properties - it collapses for delivery through the catheter and expands at the treatment site to provide protection. This dynamic transformation allows the cage to serve its protective function only when needed, minimizing the complexity burden during delivery and procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
An intravascular therapy device (10) includes an intravascular catheter (12): a helical cage (14) configured to be rotated by the intravascular catheter into a vascular occlusion disposed in a blood vessel of an associated patient: and a treatment device (16) configured to be moved to a position inside the helical cage while the helical cage is rotated into the vascular occlusion and further configured to be operated to treat the vascular occlusion while positioned inside the helical cage.