Steering Wire Attachment for Perpendicular Expandable Device Placement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical devices face challenges in accurately deploying and positioning expandable devices in the complex and tortuous vasculature, particularly at locations with inflection points, leading to potential misalignment and reduced effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A delivery system incorporating a catheter with an expandable device and an actuation wire coupled via tethers, allowing bidirectional steering and maintaining the expandable device perpendicular to vessel curvatures during deployment, facilitated by a bifurcated actuation wire structure and bio-absorbable tethers for release post-deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional delivery systems are used to deploy expandable devices in tortuous vessels, then the delivery system can reach the target location, but the expandable device cannot be accurately positioned perpendicular to inflection points in the vessel curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation wire is divided into multiple segments including a first actuation wire and a second actuation wire that can be independently manipulated. This segmentation allows separate control of different portions of the expandable device, enabling precise positioning at inflection points without requiring a completely complex delivery system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bidirectional steering capability that operates in multiple dimensions - the actuation wires can control the expandable device to orient perpendicular to the vessel wall while also navigating the tortuous three-dimensional path of the vasculature. This multi-dimensional control resolves the positioning accuracy problem without proportionally increasing system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the actuation wire is coupled to the expandable device at multiple locations, then steering control is improved, but the coupling mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of attaching the actuation wire to the exterior of the expandable device, the patent inverts the approach by having the actuation wire pass through the expandable device from one end to the other. This inverted coupling method simplifies the attachment mechanism while maintaining multiple control points, as the wire naturally engages the device structure from the interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuation wire serves as an intermediary element that transfers control forces from the delivery system to multiple locations on the expandable device simultaneously. By using this intermediate component, the patent achieves complex steering control without requiring direct complex couplings at each control point.
3Measurement precision
If the actuation wire passes through the expandable device, then steering accuracy is improved, but the risk of wire entanglement or damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable device is constructed with flexible membrane walls that can accommodate the passage of the actuation wire through their structure. These flexible shells protect the wire from damage while allowing it to pass through and transmit forces effectively, maintaining both steering accuracy and wire integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates protective features in the expandable device structure that cushion and protect the actuation wire as it passes through. These pre-built protective elements prevent wire entanglement and damage during deployment, addressing reliability concerns before they can manifest.
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward apparatuses, systems, and methods for example device delivery. The apparatuses, systems, and methods may include an actuation wire coupled to the expandable device at one or more locations thereon, the actuation wire being configured to steer the expandable device during delivery.