Tether Assembly Alignment for Faster Medical Device Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical device retrieval systems are time-consuming, complex, and can cause patient discomfort and contamination due to prolonged catheter presence within the body.
Innovation Solution
A tether assembly with a tether head assembly, positioning element, and elongate body, which aligns with the medical device attachment mechanism to facilitate efficient retrieval, reducing procedure time and complexity while minimizing patient discomfort and contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional medical device retrieval systems are used, then the medical device can be retrieved, but the procedure is time-consuming and complex with prolonged catheter presence causing patient discomfort and contamination risk
Solution Approach 1:
The retrieval system is divided into distinct functional segments: a catheter for access, a tether assembly with positioning element for alignment, and a tether head assembly with attachment mechanism for device capture. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, reducing overall procedure time and complexity while maintaining retrieval capability
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning element is configured to pre-align the tether head assembly with the medical device attachment mechanism before actual attachment occurs. This preliminary alignment action eliminates time-consuming manual positioning during the retrieval procedure and reduces complexity by automating the alignment process
2Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional retrieval systems are used, then the medical device can be retrieved, but patient discomfort and contamination risk increase due to prolonged catheter presence
Solution Approach 1:
The tether assembly enables rapid attachment to the medical device and quick extraction from the body by pre-aligning the attachment mechanism with the positioning element. This allows the procedure to be completed swiftly, minimizing catheter presence time in the patient's body and thereby reducing discomfort and contamination risk while maintaining high retrieval efficiency
3Measurement precision
If a positioning element is added to align the tether head assembly, then alignment precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning element is integrated with the tether assembly components rather than being a separate complex system. The positioning element works in conjunction with the tether head assembly and catheter as a unified structure, achieving precise alignment while minimizing overall device complexity through component merging and coordinated design
Data Source
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AI summary
In some examples, a system includes a catheter comprising an elongated shaft defining a lumen, and a tether assembly. The tether assembly may include an elongate body, a tether head assembly attached to a distal end of the elongate body, where the tether head assembly includes an attachment mechanism configured to releasably attach to an attachment member of a medical device, and a positioning element fixedly positioned over the elongate body and configured to align the attachment mechanism with the attachment member when the tether head assembly is extended distally out of the lumen. The positioning element may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a length between the distal end and proximal end that is less than a length of the elongate body. The tether head assembly, elongate body, and positioning element may be movable within the lumen of the elongated shaft.