Self-Expanding Stent Anchoring Coronary Vein Electrode
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cardiac lead placement methods face challenges in navigating small coronary sinus branch vessels and securing leads without guide catheters, leading to dislodgment and fluid flow obstruction.
Innovation Solution
A cardiac electrode delivery system featuring a deployable stent and tether mechanism that expands to anchor the lead within the coronary vein, eliminating the need for a guide catheter and ensuring secure placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a guide catheter is used to facilitate cannulation, then the lead can be advanced through the vasculature, but the guide catheter is too bulky to navigate small distal lateral branch vessels and may cause dislodgment during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the guide catheter from the lead implantation system. Instead of using a bulky guide catheter for cannulation and lead advancement, the invention uses a self-expanding stent that can be delivered through a thin delivery wire directly into the coronary vein, removing the need for the intermediate guide catheter step.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the implantation process into distinct functional components: a thin delivery wire for vascular access, a self-expanding stent for vascular anchoring, and a lead for electrical function. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the stent providing anchoring without requiring the bulky guide catheter.
2Reliability
If a traditional lead is used for placement, then the lead can be implanted, but it is too bulky for narrower vessels and may block or impede fluid flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing the lead inside the stent structure. The stent serves as an outer framework that provides both anchoring and a protective channel for the lead, allowing the lead to be delivered through a thin profile while the stent provides the necessary structural support and anchoring function.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent acts as an intermediary structure between the delivery wire and the lead. It provides a transition from the thin delivery wire to the lead, and simultaneously serves as an anchoring mechanism in the vascular wall, eliminating the need for the lead itself to be bulky for anchoring.
3Productivity
If the lead is advanced through the vasculature without anchoring, then the lead can be positioned, but it has a tendency to become dislodged during guide catheter removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by expanding the stent into the vascular wall before final lead positioning. The stent is expanded to create anchoring points in the vascular wall prior to lead implantation, ensuring that the lead remains fixed even as the delivery components are removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent is designed as a self-expanding structure that automatically anchors itself in the vascular wall through elastic recovery. The stent expands using its own elastic properties without requiring external balloons or catheters, providing self-contained anchoring functionality.
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 system allows for reliable, low-profile lead placement and anchoring within coronary veins, preventing dislodgment and maintaining fluid flow, while enabling precise positioning and fixation of cardiac leads.
Implementation Method 1
the stent frictionally engages the coronary vein to anchor the tether
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is device for delivering an electrode into a lateral vein of the coronary sinus. The device includes a support structure, a stent, a tether coupled to the stent and a removable sheath disposed about the stent. The stent is carried on the support structure and is deployable from a first collapsed configuration to a second expanded configuration for engaging the inner walls of the selected vessel. The sheath is sized to retain the stent in the first collapsed configuration. The electrode is carried on the stent or on a lead threaded over the tether.