Self-Centering Snare for Controlled Implant Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical retrieval devices face challenges in efficiently and controllably deploying and retrieving implantable medical apparatuses from hard-to-reach areas within the body, often requiring separate devices for deployment and retrieval, and suffer from lack of control during withdrawal, leading to inefficiencies and potential complications.
Innovation Solution
A snare system comprising an elongated shaft with a flexible tip and extendable member, rotatable and deployable from the tip, controlled by a handle mechanism, allowing for controlled engagement and retrieval of implantable medical apparatuses by self-centering on opposing sides of a larger diameter element, facilitating precise capture and withdrawal without sway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a looped-type snare is used to retrieve the implantable apparatus, then the apparatus can be removed from the body passageway, but the apparatus is subject to sway or lack of control during withdrawal
Solution Approach 1:
The snare is divided into multiple segments or struts that can independently engage with the apparatus. Multiple engagement points distribute the control force and prevent swaying, allowing stable retrieval without compromising operability.
Solution Approach 2:
The snare engages with the apparatus before withdrawal begins, establishing control in advance. The engageable structure is positioned and secured to the apparatus prior to the retrieval motion, preventing sway during the actual withdrawal process.
2Ease of operation
If the implanted apparatus is withdrawn into a sheath prior to removal from the body passageway, then the removal is facilitated, but the lack of control hinders efficient withdrawal into the sheath
Solution Approach 1:
The snare engages and secures the apparatus before it is drawn into the sheath. This preliminary engagement establishes control, allowing the apparatus to be efficiently withdrawn into the sheath without swaying or losing positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The snare is nested within or integrated with the sheath structure, allowing coordinated movement. As the sheath advances or retracts, the snare moves with it while maintaining engagement with the apparatus, ensuring control is preserved throughout the nesting process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate deployment and retrieval devices are used, then each device can be optimized for its specific function, but the overall system complexity increases and requires multiple procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The snare device is designed to perform both deployment and retrieval functions. The same engageable structure can be used to secure the apparatus during implantation and later during retrieval, eliminating the need for separate specialized devices while maintaining functional optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployment and retrieval capabilities are merged into a single snare device. The device combines the functions of securing, deploying, and retrieving the implantable apparatus, reducing system complexity while preserving the ability to optimize each function within the unified design.
Data Source
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AI summary
A snare for deployment or retrieval of an implantable medical apparatus. The snare includes a shaft, and a tip distal of the shaft. The tip includes an extendable member capable of self-centering the implantable apparatus during a deployment or retrieval. The extendable member is selectively receivable in the tip, distally extendable from the tip, and rotatable relative to the tip. An activatable handle is engaged with the shaft. A wire has an end engaged with the handle and an end engaged with the tip. Upon activation, the wire is urged in a proximal direction, resulting in a flexure of the tip. An elongated mechanism has a proximal portion engaged with the handle, and a distal portion engaged with the tip extendable member. The elongated mechanism is configured for selectively controlling the receiving, deploying, and rotating of the extendable member.