Split-Tip Multilumen Catheter Flow Obstruction Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multilumen catheters used in extracorporeal treatments like hemodialysis often experience flow restrictions due to lumen obstructions, such as fibrin sheath formation or improper placement, which impede the efficient exchange of bodily fluids.
Innovation Solution
A split-tip multilumen catheter design featuring multiple distal tubes that open into a single lumen to enhance flow, along with an occlusion testing device to identify and address blockages, ensuring unobstructed access for both aspiration and infusion of fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single lumen catheter is used, then the device structure is simple, but the flow rate is limited and prone to obstruction
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is divided into multiple lumens (aspiration lumen and infusion lumen) that are separated within the catheter body but converge at the distal tip. This segmentation allows independent flow paths that reduce obstruction risk while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple lumens are nested within a single catheter body, with each lumen containing its own flow path. The lumens are positioned concentrically or adjacently within the catheter wall, allowing compact integration while maintaining separate flow channels for aspiration and infusion.
2Ease of operation
If the distal tip is placed against the vein wall, then the catheter is stable, but the flow is restricted or blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The distal tip is segmented into multiple openings distributed across different locations (aspiration openings and infusion openings). This segmentation ensures that not all openings can be blocked simultaneously by vein wall contact, maintaining flow capability while the catheter remains stable.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow openings are distributed in multiple spatial dimensions at the distal tip - both longitudinally and radially. This multi-dimensional distribution of openings ensures that obstruction at one location does not prevent flow through other openings, maintaining productivity while allowing catheter stability.
3Reliability
If a fibrin sheath forms around the catheter, then the catheter is protected from infection, but blood flow in and out of the catheter is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter employs multiple separate lumens with distinct openings for aspiration and infusion. This segmentation creates independent flow paths that can maintain patency even when a fibrin sheath forms, as the sheath cannot uniformly obstruct all openings simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter design allows for dynamic flow distribution among multiple openings. When obstruction occurs at one opening due to fibrin sheath formation, flow automatically redirects through other available openings, maintaining overall productivity while the protective sheath remains in place.
4Productivity
If holes are added in the side of the catheter to increase access, then the flow is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The side holes and distal openings are integrated into a unified multilumen structure where aspiration and infusion occur through coordinated openings at different locations. This merging of functions into a single integrated device achieves enhanced flow without the complexity of separate catheters or additional attachment components.
Data Source
AI summary
A multilumen catheter with an inflow or an outflow lumen having at least two tube extensions extending from the distal end of the catheter that open into the inflow or outflow lumen. The catheter is useful in the extracorporeal treatment of blood, such as hemodialysis, hemofiltration or apheresis. A device to selectively test each of the two tube extensions for occlusion.