Support Arm Stabilizes Valve Leaflet During Suture Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current surgical methods for cardiac valve repair, particularly minimally invasive procedures, face challenges in stabilizing the valve leaflet during suture placement, leading to instability and difficulty in accurately anchoring sutures at the edge of the leaflet.

Innovation Solution

A delivery system comprising a first delivery shaft with an end effector and a needle, along with a first support arm that extends along the leaflet to stabilize it during needle insertion and suture placement, allowing for precise anchoring of sutures at the edge of the leaflet.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If minimally invasive surgical methods are used for cardiac valve repair, then patient trauma and recovery time are reduced, but the ability to stabilize the valve leaflet during suture placement is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient traumaVSAvoidvalve leaflet stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

A support arm is introduced as an intermediary device between the delivery shaft and the valve leaflet. The support arm extends along the leaflet to provide mechanical stabilization during suture placement, allowing minimally invasive procedures to achieve both reduced patient trauma and stable leaflet positioning simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The delivery system is segmented into distinct functional components: a delivery shaft for navigation, a support arm for stabilization, and a needle/suture assembly for anchoring. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while maintaining overall minimally invasive capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If the valve leaflet is not stabilized during suture placement, then the procedure is simpler, but the accuracy of suture anchoring at the leaflet edge is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedure complexityVSAvoidsuture anchoring accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The support arm serves as a mediator that provides precise mechanical reference and stabilization at the leaflet edge, enabling accurate suture anchoring without significantly increasing procedure complexity. The support arm's geometry and positioning capabilities provide the necessary precision while maintaining operational simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If a support arm is added to stabilize the valve leaflet, then suture placement accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesuture placement accuracyVSAvoiddelivery system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The support arm is merged with the delivery shaft assembly, sharing common structural elements and actuation mechanisms. This merging approach provides the necessary stabilization functionality while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity through integrated design

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20250032256A1Support device for valve leaflet

Publication Date: 2025.01.30 EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORP

AI summary

A delivery system comprises a first delivery shaft configured to deliver one or more sutures to a leaflet of a heart. The first delivery shaft has an end effector at a distal end of the first delivery shaft and configured to contact the leaflet. The delivery system further comprises a needle configured to extend from the distal end of the first delivery shaft and through the leaflet and a support arm configured to contact and extend at least partially along the leaflet during delivery of the needle through the leaflet.