Telescoping Thrombectomy Device Clot Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thrombectomy procedures for ischemic stroke risk losing pieces of the clot during retrieval due to fragmentation or dislodgment, complicating the procedure and making it difficult to access smaller vessels.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a telescoping support member and two expandable members, where a proximal expandable member can evert to cover and enclose a distal expandable member securing the clot, reducing fragmentation and ensuring complete retrieval by covering the clot before it is pulled into a catheter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a thrombectomy device is used to physically remove a clot from the affected artery, then blood flow through the obstructed vessel is restored, but pieces of the clot may be scraped off or dislodged during retrieval, causing fragmentation and loss of clot material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested structure where the capture device is positioned within a containment device. The capture device secures the clot while the containment device encloses both the capture device and the captured clot, creating a protective nested system that prevents fragmentation during retrieval through the vasculature and into the catheter.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment device serves as an intermediary between the capture device and the external environment. It acts as a protective barrier that allows the capture device to perform its clot-securing function while simultaneously preventing dislodgment of clot pieces during the retrieval process, thus mediating between clot removal efficiency and retrieval integrity.
2Productivity
If aspiration is performed by pulling a vacuum while retrieving the thrombectomy device, then captured clot material can be removed from the vasculature, but the clot may fragment or be lost before complete retrieval
Solution Approach 1:
The containment device is deployed and positioned around the capture device before the actual clot retrieval and aspiration process begins. This preliminary enclosing action creates a protected environment that prevents clot fragmentation throughout the subsequent aspiration and retrieval operations, ensuring complete clot removal without material loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested arrangement of the containment device surrounding the capture device with captured clot provides continuous protection during the aspiration process. The vacuum can be applied through the containment structure without exposing the clot to mechanical stresses that would cause fragmentation, thereby maintaining retrieval integrity while achieving efficient clot removal.
3Reliability
If a balloon guide catheter is used to arrest blood flow during retrieval, then clot loss is prevented, but the procedure becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the clot-capturing function and the clot-protection function into a single integrated device system. The containment device is delivered and deployed through the same catheter system that delivers the capture device, merging multiple protective functions into one unified apparatus, thereby simplifying the overall procedure while maintaining reliability in preventing clot loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment device serves multiple functions: it protects the captured clot from fragmentation, facilitates retrieval through the catheter, and eliminates the need for separate balloon occlusion procedures. This multi-functionality reduces procedural complexity while ensuring reliable prevention of clot loss during the entire retrieval process.
4Ease of operation
If the thrombectomy device is pulled back into a catheter for retrieval, then the clot can be removed from the body, but pieces of the clot may be scraped off and sent downstream to other arteries
Solution Approach 1:
The containment device acts as an intermediary protective barrier between the captured clot and the catheter wall during retrieval. It allows the simple pulling-back motion required for easy operation while preventing direct contact between the clot and catheter surfaces that would cause scraping and downstream embolization, thus eliminating harmful effects without complicating the retrieval process.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested configuration places the containment device with the captured clot inside the catheter lumen during retrieval. This nested protection ensures that as the device is pulled back into the catheter, the clot remains enclosed and cannot be scraped off or dislodged, preventing downstream embolization while maintaining the simplicity of the retrieval operation.
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
This method significantly reduces the risk of clot fragmentation and loss during retrieval, ensuring more complete removal and potentially shorter, less complex procedures by maintaining the clot in a covered state until it is safely withdrawn.
Implementation Method 1
The second expandable member is expanded to bring at least a portion of the second expandable member into contact with the obstruction
Implementation Method 2
The telescoping support member includes an outer tubular shaft and an inner elongate member that extends through and is slidable within the outer tubular shaft
Data Source
AI summary
An ischemic stroke device includes a telescoping member, a first or proximal expandable member connected to the telescoping support member, and a second or distal expandable member connected to the first expandable member. A proximal portion of the first expandable member is attached to a distal end of an outer shaft of the telescoping support member, and a distal end of the first expandable member is attached to a distal portion of an inner core wire of the telescoping support member. The proximal end of the second expandable member is permanently joined to the distal end of the inner core wire. The first expandable member everts to cover the second expandable member that is used to capture an obstruction or clot, prior to pulling the obstruction or clot into a catheter for removal from a patient's vasculature.