Elongate Serpentine Wire Implant for Heart-Tissue Gap Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Therapeutic implants in the heart, such as replacement valves and occlusion devices, often experience leakage due to gaps between their circular or rectangular shape and the non-circular anatomy, leading to inefficient blood flow and the need for costly, time-consuming single-device delivery methods.
Innovation Solution
A catheter-based deployment system using an elongate wire pre-loaded into a serpentine shape, which is deployed at an angle to fit non-circular gaps, filling them effectively and preventing leakage by maintaining tension within the gap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If circular or rectangular plugs are used to fill gaps, then the device structure is simple, but the plug cannot sufficiently plug non-circular gaps to prevent blood flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by transitioning from circular or rectangular plug shapes to elongate wire implants with serpentine configurations. The wire's elongated geometry with peaks and troughs creates asymmetric contact points that conform to non-circular gap shapes, enabling effective sealing of gaps between therapeutic implants and heart anatomy while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes curvature through the serpentine shape of the elongate wire implant, featuring multiple peaks and troughs along its length. This curved configuration allows the wire to flex and conform to the irregular contours of non-circular gaps, improving gap sealing effectiveness compared to straight or simple geometric plugs.
2Measurement precision
If single-device delivery methods are used, then the device can be precisely delivered, but the implantation process becomes expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the delivery system into a catheter and a separate push rod, allowing the elongate wire implant to be pushed through the catheter in a controlled manner. This segmented approach enables precise delivery while improving implantation efficiency compared to single-device methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a push rod as an intermediary tool that works in conjunction with the catheter to deliver the elongate wire implant. The push rod serves as a mediator that transmits force to advance the wire through the catheter, enabling precise and efficient implantation without requiring complex single-device systems.
3Ease of manufacture
If the therapeutic implant is smaller than the anatomy size, then the implant can be packaged in discrete sizes, but gaps form between the implant and anatomy wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by transitioning from two-dimensional circular or rectangular plugs to a three-dimensional elongate wire configuration with serpentine shape. The wire's elongated form with peaks and troughs extends into the third dimension, allowing it to conform to and fill non-circular gaps between discrete-sized implants and the anatomy wall, thereby preventing gap formation while maintaining ease of manufacture.
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 solution allows for multiple wires to be deployed efficiently, sealing gaps of various shapes and sizes, reducing costs and time, and ensuring effective blood flow by filling non-circular gaps between therapeutic implants and heart anatomy.
Implementation Method 1
The serpentine shape may make the elongate wire flexible or resilient so that it is biased to return to its heat-set serpentine shape when deformed or constrained
Implementation Method 2
The elongate wire may be set (e.g. heat-set) into a serpentine shape that curves between a plurality of peaks and a plurality of troughs
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods for preventing leakage through a therapeutic implant are provided. An exemplary apparatus includes an elongate wire configured to be implanted within a heart of a patient such that the elongate wire is positioned within a non-circular gap between a therapeutic implant positioned within the heart and a native heart tissue of the patient to stop a leakage of blood through the non-circular gap. The elongate wire comprises a single length of material set in a serpentine shape. Moreover, the elongate wire is configured to retain the serpentine shape when the elongate wire is positioned within the non-circular gap.