Suturing Device for Arteriotomy Closure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical suturing systems for closing arteriotomies after vascular catheterization procedures are inefficient, requiring prolonged recovery times and increased risk of complications due to reliance on manual compression or other methods that do not consistently and reliably facilitate closure and healing.
Innovation Solution
A suturing device with a handle, elongated body, suture snags, and needles that can be actuated to deploy and retract, allowing for precise placement of sutures beyond the arteriotomy boundaries, capturing and tying them to form stitches that can seal the vessel wall effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual compression or conventional closure methods are used after catheter removal, then the arteriotomy can be closed, but the patient experiences prolonged recovery time and increased risk of complications
Solution Approach 1:
The suturing device performs preliminary suture placement during the catheterization procedure itself, before catheter removal. The needles are advanced through the vessel wall and sutures are positioned in advance, so that when the catheter is removed, the arteriotomy is already pre-prepared for immediate closure, eliminating the need for prolonged post-procedure compression and monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a specialized suturing device as an intermediary tool between the catheterization procedure and arteriotomy closure. This device includes needles with sutures attached, a delivery mechanism, and actuators that enable precise suture placement through the vessel wall, serving as a bridge that transitions from open arteriotomy to closed state without requiring prolonged manual compression
2Productivity
If conventional closure methods are used, then the procedure can be completed, but the risk of complications increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suturing device employs disposable needles with pre-attached sutures that are used once and then discarded. Each needle is a single-use component that delivers its suture and is then removed, eliminating the risk of needle reuse complications and ensuring sterility. The sutures themselves are designed as single-use elements that perform their closure function and are then discarded with the device
Solution Approach 2:
The suturing device incorporates self-aligning and self-positioning features that reduce the need for complex manual manipulation by the operator. The delivery mechanism automatically positions the needles and sutures correctly through the vessel wall, and the actuators automatically advance and retract the needles, minimizing operator error and associated complications
3Manufacturing precision
If a suturing device with deployable needles and sutures is used, then precise suture placement is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suturing device is divided into distinct functional segments: a handle with actuators, a delivery mechanism with guide channels, multiple needles with attached sutures, and a deployment mechanism. Each segment performs a specific function and can be independently controlled, allowing precise suture placement while managing overall device complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates dynamic components including movable needles that can be advanced and retracted, deployable sutures that transition from a compact state to an extended stitching configuration, and actuators that provide controlled motion. This dynamic design allows the device to adapt its configuration during the procedure, achieving precise suture placement through controlled movement rather than complex static structures
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A suturing device includes a handle, an elongated body, at least one suture snag, at least one pair of needles, and at least one suture pair. The suture snag is moveable between a deployed position in which two distal arm portions thereof radially extend away from the elongated body and a retracted position in which the two distal arm portions are disposed within the elongated body. The suture pair is slidingly disposed through the needle pair. The suturing device deploys the suture snag within a vessel adjacent to an arteriotomy, extends the needle pair through a vessel wall around the arteriotomy and through the deployed suture snag, extends the suture pair beyond the distal ends of the needle pair, and then utilizes the suture snag to capture the extended suture pair by retracting the suture snag to pull first or distal ends of the sutures back into the suturing device.