Steerable Guide Wire With Differential Actuation for Tortuous Vasculature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional guide wires used for placing medical devices in the coronary sinus region are limited by their inability to easily navigate tortuous vasculature due to stiffness and require repetitive bending and reinsertion, which increases the risk of infection and is time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A steerable guide wire assembly comprising multiple wire portions joined at their distal ends with an actuator that applies differential push-pull forces to deflect the distal end portion, allowing for bidirectional curvature and improved navigation through complex vascular structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional guide wire with a flexible coiled end is used, then the guide wire can be inserted into the vascular system, but it cannot easily navigate tortuous vasculature due to stiffness and requires repetitive bending and reinsertion
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wire incorporates a steerable distal end portion with multiple wire portions that can be dynamically deflected in multiple directions by an actuator. This dynamic steering capability allows the guide wire to adapt to tortuous vasculature in real-time during insertion, eliminating the need for repetitive bending and reinsertion operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide wire is divided into multiple wire portions (first wire portion, second wire portion, etc.) that are joined at their distal ends. This segmentation allows independent manipulation of each wire portion through the actuator, enabling complex steering movements and bidirectional curvature that facilitate navigation through tortuous vascular paths.
2Reliability
If a conventional guide wire is used, then the procedure can be performed, but repetitive bending and reinsertion increases the risk of infection
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic steering mechanism allows the guide wire to be manipulated smoothly in real-time without removal from the vascular system. The actuator enables continuous adjustment of the distal end portion's direction, eliminating the need for repetitive insertion and removal cycles that expose the procedure to infection risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide wire maintains continuous presence in the vascular system throughout the procedure. The steerable mechanism enables all necessary navigation adjustments to be made while the wire remains in place, ensuring uninterrupted useful action and eliminating gaps where infection could occur during removal and reinsertion.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a steerable guide wire with multiple wire portions is used, then bidirectional deflection and improved navigation are achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wire is segmented into multiple wire portions joined at their distal ends, with proximal ends attached to an actuator. This segmentation provides the structural basis for bidirectional deflection while maintaining a relatively simple overall architecture that builds upon the conventional guide wire design.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator serves multiple functions: it applies differential push-pull forces to control the deflection of multiple wire portions, enables bidirectional curvature, and facilitates navigation through complex vascular structures. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate mechanisms for each capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide wire assembly for facilitating placement of a medical device comprises (a) a longitudinally extending guide wire comprising a plurality of wire portions disposed adjacent to each other, each of the plurality of wire portions having a distal extremity and a proximal extremity, the distal extremities of the plurality of wire portions being joined, and (b) an actuator operatively associated with the proximal extremities of the plurality of wire portions for applying longitudinally directed, differential push-pull forces to the proximal extremities for deflecting a distal end portion of the guide wire.