Telescoping Capsule Assembly for Tricuspid Valve Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transcatheter delivery devices face challenges in accessing and deploying prosthetic heart valves at the tricuspid valve due to limited space, obstacles like chordae and papillary muscles, and the shorter right ventricle, which complicates visualization and increases the length of the delivery device needed.
Innovation Solution
A telescoping capsule assembly is used to compressively retain the prosthetic heart valve during delivery, featuring a distal capsule and a proximal capsule that transition from a loaded arrangement to a deployed arrangement, reducing the length of the delivery device within the right ventricle and facilitating easier deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a conventional delivery device is used to deliver a prosthetic heart valve to the tricuspid valve, then the device can deliver the prosthesis, but the delivery device becomes excessively long and difficult to navigate due to the need to extend deep into the right ventricle
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule assembly employs a nested structure where the proximal capsule can slide over and contain the distal capsule. In the deployed arrangement, the proximal capsule telescopes over the distal capsule, allowing the capsule assembly to maintain a compact length while still providing sufficient coverage for prosthesis delivery and deployment at the tricuspid valve position.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule assembly transitions from a loaded arrangement to a deployed arrangement through dynamic movement of the proximal capsule relative to the distal capsule. This dynamic configuration allows the delivery device to adapt its structure during the delivery process, optimizing both navigation and deployment functions without requiring excessive length.
2Ease of operation
If the delivery device is made shorter to improve navigation, then ease of operation improves, but the ability to effectively deploy the prosthesis is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The nested capsule structure allows the assembly to be compact during navigation while expanding to provide adequate coverage for reliable prosthesis deployment. The proximal capsule sliding over the distal capsule creates a telescoping effect that maintains compact dimensions without sacrificing deployment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule assembly is divided into distinct segments (proximal capsule and distal capsule) that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each capsule to perform specific functions - the distal capsule for initial prosthesis containment and the proximal capsule for deployment assistance - thereby ensuring reliable deployment within a shorter overall device length.
3Strength
If metallic capsules are used in the delivery device, then structural strength is improved, but visualization becomes difficult due to metallic artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule assembly utilizes composite material construction, combining metallic components for structural strength with non-metallic or radiolucent materials for portions requiring visualization. This composite approach allows the capsules to maintain the necessary mechanical strength for prosthesis containment and deployment while reducing metallic artifacts that interfere with imaging and visualization during the procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the disclosure provide a cardiac implant delivery device including catheter having a distal end and a telescoping capsule assembly secured to the distal end. The capsule assembly can include a distal capsule and a proximal capsule. Other embodiments include additional capsules positioned between the proximal and distal capsules. The capsule assembly has a loaded arrangement and a deployed arrangement. As the capsule assembly transitions from the loaded arrangement fully covering the implant to the deployed arrangement, the proximal capsule and any intermediate capsules move distally in the direction of the distal capsule to unsheathe the implant. In various embodiments, the cardiac implant is a prosthetic heart valve. Methods of delivering a cardiac implant are also disclosed. Various methods include methods of delivering a replacement tricuspid heart valve.