Segmented Catheter Shafts for Tortuous Anatomy Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional surgical procedures for implanting prosthetic heart valves require invasive methods, causing patient trauma and prolonged recovery times due to the rigidity of current delivery catheters, which limit their ability to navigate tortuous anatomies.
Innovation Solution
A delivery system with an outer shaft composed of interlocking segments that allow for multiple planes of motion, enabling the catheter to bend and flex, thereby improving steerability and reducing the need for repositioning during implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a shaft contains two spine wires running through membranes to provide structural support, then the shaft maintains structural integrity, but the shaft can bend or flex in one plane only, limiting its ability to navigate tortuous anatomies
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple articulating segments that can move relative to each other. Each segment contains spine wires for structural support, while the joints between segments enable multi-plane bending and flexing to navigate tortuous anatomies.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft transitions from a static, rigid structure to a dynamic, articulating structure. The segments are connected through joints that allow controlled movement, enabling the shaft to adapt its shape while maintaining structural integrity through the spine wires.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the shaft is made rigid to provide structural support, then the delivery catheter maintains stability, but it requires additional maneuvers such as rotation or repositioning to align with curved anatomies, increasing surgery duration and risk
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft is segmented into multiple articulating sections that can independently bend and flex. This segmentation allows the catheter to conform to curved anatomies without requiring extensive rotation or repositioning maneuvers, reducing surgery time while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft's mechanical properties are changed by introducing articulating segments with controlled flexibility. This allows the shaft to dynamically adjust its curvature and orientation to match anatomical pathways, eliminating the need for time-consuming repositioning while maintaining structural stability.
3Measurement precision
If the shaft is made rigid to ensure structural support, then the delivery system maintains positioning accuracy, but the catheter may need to be rotated or repositioned multiple times to navigate curved paths, increasing the risk of vessel dissection
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is divided into multiple articulating segments that can bend and flex independently. This allows the catheter to smoothly follow curved anatomical paths without requiring rotation or repositioning maneuvers, reducing friction and the risk of vessel dissection while maintaining positioning accuracy through controlled segment movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic articulating structure that can adapt its shape in real-time. This dynamic flexibility allows the catheter to navigate tortuous anatomies smoothly, reducing mechanical stress on blood vessels and eliminating the need for harmful rotation or repositioning maneuvers.
Data Source
AI summary
The system includes a control handle portion and a catheter portion coupled to the control handle portion at a proximal end of the catheter portion. The catheter portion includes an outer shaft. The outer shaft includes a plurality of segments arranged in an axial direction to form the outer shaft the catheter portion, each of the plurality of segments being configured to move relative to one another. The system also includes a distal portion coupled to a distal end of the outer shaft, the distal portion being configured to receive the implantable medical device.