Steerable Catheter Fluid Pressure Articulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional catheters face challenges in maneuverability, particularly in tortuous vessel passageways, due to passive movement, limited torqueability, kinking, buckling, and radial ballooning issues when using fluid force for steering, which complicates medical procedures and causes patient discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A steerable catheter design with a flexible distal end that articulates under internal fluid pressure, featuring a chamber body with a distensible occluded end and a tool receiving passageway, which includes compression-resistant and expansion-resistant reinforcements to maintain stability and functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional catheters use passive movement to follow the vessel path, then the catheter structure is simple, but the maneuverability and navigation precision are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fluid pressure systems to articulate the catheter tip. Fluid is delivered through lumens to expand balloons or chambers at the distal end, enabling controlled bending and steering of the catheter tip without complex mechanical linkages throughout the entire catheter length. This hydraulic approach provides precise maneuverability while maintaining relative structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter is divided into segmented functional regions: a flexible shaft, an articulation section with expandable balloons or chambers, and a distal tip. This segmentation allows independent control of different sections, enabling complex navigation through tortuous vessels while keeping each segment's structure manageable and relatively simple.
2Ease of operation
If cables are used to maneuver the catheter second end, then the catheter can be steered, but the catheter may kink, buckle, or prolapse due to cable length and flexibility requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces long flexible cables with fluid pressure actuation. Fluid delivered through stiff lumens expands balloons or chambers at the distal end, providing steering force without the intermediate cable segments that are prone to kinking and buckling. This eliminates the structural instability issues associated with long flexible cables while maintaining steering capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes mechanical cable-pulley steering mechanisms with a fluid pressure-based articulation system. Instead of pulling or pushing on cables to bend the catheter, fluid pressure expands elastic balloons or chambers to actively articulate the distal end, replacing the mechanical cable system with a more reliable fluid actuation mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If fluid force is used to steer the catheter, then the catheter can be articulated, but radial ballooning occurs which complicates the procedure and causes patient discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local reinforcement structures (such as braided layers, mesh, or stiffening elements) specifically at the distal end where balloons or chambers are located. This localized reinforcement prevents radial ballooning in the critical steering region while maintaining the flexibility needed for articulation, and prevents patient discomfort without compromising the overall catheter softness.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter incorporates composite construction with different material layers: flexible inner tubes for fluid delivery, elastic balloon materials for articulation, and reinforcement layers (braided metal or polymer meshes) to prevent radial expansion. This composite structure enables controlled articulation through fluid pressure while preventing harmful radial ballooning.
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
Enhances maneuverability and reduces patient discomfort by allowing precise navigation through complex vessel passageways without kinking or ballooning, enabling effective use in both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Implementation Method 1
The occluded distal end is elastically distensible under an internal fluid pressure for articulating the catheter flexible second end portion
Implementation Method 2
The occluded distal end is elastically distensible under an internal fluid pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Steerable catheter devices are provided having a proximal first end portion, an elongate intermediate portion, and a distal flexible second end portion defining a longitudinal axis, and at least one channel having a proximal opening and terminating at an occluded distal end radially offset relative to the central longitudinal axis and positioned within the catheter flexible second end portion substantially straight in a relaxed position and bent when the occluded distal end is under a change in internal fluid pressure. Optionally, the catheter further has a dye injection lumen and a tool receiving passageway extending from the first end portion to the second end portion. The occluded distal end is axially elastically distensible under an internal fluid pressure to deflect (thereby to steer) the catheter second end portion through the tortuous path of a vessel passageway when used percutaneously or working channel of an endoscope or endoscope accessory device.