Shock Wave Catheter Balloon Layout for Tight Occlusion Crossing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing catheter designs face challenges in crossing tight or total occlusions in vasculature, particularly due to their profile and the need for a bipolar electrical circuit to generate shockwaves effectively, with guidewire designs lacking a balloon for tissue protection and conductive fluid immersion.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile catheter design with a distal cap or angioplasty balloon that includes coplanar electrodes and a reinforced wire sheath, allowing for a bipolar electrical circuit and minimal profile advancement, with a flexible cap that inflates for conductive fluid immersion and shockwave generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a guidewire design with shock wave generator at the tip is used, then the profile is extremely low, but the soft tip cannot be easily pushed through a blockage and there is no tissue protection
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs a nested structure where the low-profile cap containing the electrode pairs is positioned within the catheter body, allowing the distal end to maintain an extremely low profile for navigation through tight occlusions while the proximal catheter provides the necessary structural support and pushability to advance through blockages
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is divided into functional segments: a supported shaft portion for pushability, a transition zone, and a low-profile distal end with the cap and electrodes. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function while working together as a unified device
2Length of moving object
If a guidewire design with shock wave generator at the tip is used, then the profile is extremely low, but there is no balloon for tissue protection and conductive fluid immersion
Solution Approach 1:
The low-profile cap containing the electrode pairs is nested within the catheter body, allowing the distal end to maintain an extremely low profile while the cap itself serves as a protective structure that contains the conductive fluid and shields surrounding tissue from direct exposure to plasma and shock waves
Solution Approach 2:
The cap acts as an intermediary structure between the electrodes and the surrounding tissue, containing the conductive fluid necessary for shock wave generation while protecting the tissue from direct contact with the plasma and high-energy shock waves
3Area of moving object
If coplanar electrode pairs are used, then the device diameter is reduced, but the bipolar electrical circuit must be compact
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode pairs are arranged in a coplanar configuration rather than a symmetric three-dimensional arrangement, which reduces the device diameter while the asymmetric routing of electrical connections through the catheter walls provides a compact pathway for the bipolar circuit
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical connections for the bipolar circuit are routed through the walls of the catheter and cap, utilizing the radial dimension to create compact connection pathways that do not increase the longitudinal or radial profile of the device
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
Enables effective treatment of tight and total occlusions by reducing the catheter's profile for easier navigation and providing a controlled shockwave generation system within a closed system, protecting tissue and ensuring efficient lesion cracking.
Implementation Method 1
shock wave generators are fired to produce shock waves that direct acoustic waves into the lesion
Implementation Method 2
produce shock waves that direct acoustic waves into the lesion
Implementation Method 3
A balloon is advantageous in that it can shield the tissue from direct contact with the plasma that is generated during shock wave creation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
The present invention provides a catheter for treating occlusions in blood vessels. An exemplary catheter for treating occlusions in blood vessels comprises a tubular inner member (202) including a base segment (202a) with a first lumen (201) defining a fluid inlet port, and a second lumen (204) defining a fluid outlet port. An extension segment (202b) is distal to the base segment (202a). The extension segment (202b) has a reduced cross-section. An emitter assembly includes a first insulated wire (206) extending through the second lumen (204) and a second insulated wire (208), and a conductive sheath (212) wrapped circumferentially around the first insulated wire (206), the second insulated wire (208), and the extension segment (202b). A cap or balloon (230) is sealably attached to the distal end of the catheter and surrounds the emitter assembly, said cap or balloon being fillable with conductive fluid.