Medical Shunt Device Buffer Portion Tissue Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices for forming shunts in heart failure treatments are affected by variations in tissue thickness, leading to excessive expansion of holes in biological tissues, which can result in inadequate or unsafe cauterization.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with an expandable/contractible expansion body featuring a force receiving portion, energy transfer elements, and a pulling shaft, including buffer portions that relax compressive force by deforming in specific directions, to maintain consistent expansion and prevent excessive tissue expansion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the expansion body is expanded using a pulling shaft to apply compressive force, then the electrode can be pressed against the tissue to perform cauterization, but the compressive force largely varies depending on tissue thickness, causing the hole to be enlarged more than expected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a buffer portion in the expansion body that acts as a cushioning element. When the pulling shaft applies compressive force to expand the expansion body, the buffer portion absorbs excess force and prevents it from being transmitted directly to the tissue. This ensures that even when tissue thickness varies, the force applied to press the electrode against the tissue remains controlled, preventing the hole from being enlarged more than expected while still enabling safe cauterization.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the expansion body expands radially outward to receive the tissue, then the tissue can be sandwiched for electrode contact, but variations in tissue thickness cause variations in the amount of expansion, leading to excessive hole expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer portion is designed to compensate for tissue thickness variations. When the expansion body expands radially outward to accommodate tissue of varying thickness, the buffer portion absorbs the excess expansion force. This ensures that the expansion body maintains consistent dimensions and does not expand excessively, thereby maintaining hole size consistency while still adapting to different tissue thicknesses.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state or properties of the expansion body by incorporating the buffer portion, which alters how the expansion body responds to radial expansion forces. The buffer portion modifies the expansion characteristics, allowing the system to maintain consistent hole size despite variations in tissue thickness, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and precision.
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 device effectively suppresses variations in expansion due to tissue thickness, ensuring safe and appropriate cauterization by maintaining a consistent hole size, reducing the risk of excessive expansion and improving treatment efficacy.
Implementation Method 1
the expansion body includes a buffer portion that is disposed in the first expansion portion and is configured to relax the compressive force by deforming in a direction different from a direction from the force receiving portion toward the distal-side top portion along the distal-side expansion portion
Implementation Method 2
a buffer portion that is disposed in the first expansion portion and is configured to relax the compressive force by deforming in a direction different from a direction from the force receiving portion toward the distal-side top portion
Data Source
AI summary
An expansion body, an elongated shaft portion to which the proximal end of the expansion body is fixed, a plurality of energy transfer elements disposed along the expansion body, and a pulling shaft are included, the pulling shaft is configured to apply, to the expansion body via a force receiving portion, a compressive force that makes compression along an axial center of the shaft portion such that a plurality of energy transfer element arrangement portions and a plurality of facing portions approach each other by sliding in a direction of the proximal end with respect to the shaft portion, and the expansion body includes a buffer portion that is disposed in a first expansion portion and is configured to relax the compressive force by deforming in a direction different from the direction from the force receiving portion toward a distal-side top portion along a distal-side expansion portion.