Segmented Catheter Curvature for Hepatic Artery Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guiding catheters face difficulties in navigating the unique shapes of different arteries, such as the coronary and hepatic arteries, making it challenging to accurately position therapeutic catheters for effective treatment.
Innovation Solution
A catheter with a tubular body featuring a series of bent portions and a distal end configuration that allows it to be advanced from the arm into the hepatic artery, with specific angles and radii of curvature enabling it to guide medical devices into the common hepatic artery by contacting the aorta and celiac artery, ensuring precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a standard guiding catheter for coronary artery is used for hepatic artery, then the catheter structure is simple and readily available, but the catheter cannot accurately navigate the hepatic artery due to shape mismatch
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft is divided into multiple segmented portions (first shaft portion, second shaft portion, third shaft portion, fourth shaft portion) with different flexibility characteristics. Each segment can independently conform to different vascular segments, allowing the catheter to adapt to the complex geometry of the hepatic artery while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the catheter are assigned different flexibility properties to match local anatomical requirements. The proximal portions have higher flexibility for navigating the aortic arch and subclavian artery, while distal portions have appropriate stiffness for stable positioning in the hepatic artery. This local differentiation enables precise navigation without requiring complete redesign of the entire catheter.
2Ease of operation
If the catheter is made more flexible to navigate complex arterial paths, then the catheter can reach the hepatic artery more easily, but the catheter becomes less stable for providing backup force
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs a dynamic flexibility gradient along its length, where proximal segments are more flexible to facilitate navigation through tortuous vessels, while distal segments maintain appropriate stiffness for stable positioning and force transmission. This dynamic property distribution allows the catheter to be both maneuverable during insertion and stable during therapeutic intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter's physical parameters (flexibility, stiffness, radius of curvature) are deliberately varied along its length to match the changing anatomical requirements. The flexibility parameter decreases from proximal to distal portions, enabling easy navigation in flexible regions while providing stable support in the target hepatic artery region.
3Measurement precision
If the catheter uses a conventional straight shaft design, then the catheter structure is simple, but the catheter cannot contact the aorta and celiac artery properly for accurate positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft incorporates predetermined curvatures and bent portions that match the natural anatomy of the aorta and its branches. These curved configurations enable the catheter to follow the physiological path through the aortic arch, descending aorta, and into the hepatic artery, ensuring proper contact with vessel walls for accurate positioning while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A catheter for a hepatic artery introduced from an arm of a patient includes a first bent portion, a second bent portion distal of the first bent portion and bent to the same side as the first bent portion, a third bent portion disposed on a distal side of the second bent portion and bent to an opposite side from the second bent portion, and a most distal end portion disposed distal of the third bent portion, in which a minimum radius of curvature of the first bent portion is larger than a minimum radius of curvature of the second bent portion. The most distal end portion is directed to a common hepatic artery and the first bent portion comes into contact with an aorta wall on an opposite side from a celiac artery when the second bent portion contacts a blood vessel wall of the celiac artery.