Thrombectomy Device Arcuate Markers for Vascular Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Blood vessel occlusions due to thrombi disrupt blood flow, leading to oxygen and nutrient deprivation, which can result in tissue impairment and cellular death, necessitating effective methods for thrombus removal.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with an elongate manipulation member and a thrombectomy device featuring expandable arcuate marker-mounting projections and markers for precise positioning and expansion within blood vessels to engage and remove thrombi, utilizing radiopaque markers for alignment and expansion control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the thrombectomy device is expanded to engage the thrombus, then the device can effectively capture and remove the thrombus, but the device becomes difficult to position and control within the blood vessel
Solution Approach 1:
The thrombectomy device is divided into multiple arcuate marker-mounting projections that can be independently positioned along the manipulation member. These segmented projections allow the device to maintain a compact configuration during navigation while enabling localized expansion at the target site for effective thrombus engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a compressed configuration during delivery to an expanded configuration at the treatment site. The arcuate projections are designed to expand radially outward when deployed, transforming the device from a navigable catheter-like structure to an engaged thrombectomy tool that can effectively capture thrombus.
2Measurement precision
If markers are attached to the thrombectomy device for positioning guidance, then the device can be precisely aligned within the blood vessel, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The marker-mounting projections are integrated directly into the structural framework of the thrombectomy device. The markers are attached to these projections, combining the positioning function with the mechanical structure, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The arcuate marker-mounting projections serve multiple functions: they provide structural support for the device, enable radial expansion for thrombus engagement, and serve as attachment points for radiopaque markers for imaging guidance. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components.
3Ease of operation
If the thrombectomy device is kept compact for navigation, then the device can be easily delivered through the vasculature, but the device cannot effectively engage the thrombus
Solution Approach 1:
The thrombectomy device with its arcuate projections is designed to be nested within a delivery catheter in a compressed state for easy navigation through the vasculature. Upon deployment, the device expands outward from the catheter, transforming from a compact navigable form to an expanded thrombus-engaging configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device can include an elongate manipulation member, and a thrombectomy device connected to the elongate manipulation member. The thrombectomy device can have a first configuration and a second configuration, the thrombectomy device being expandable from the first configuration to the second configuration. The thrombectomy device can include an arcuate marker-mounting projection attached to a portion of the thrombectomy device configured to contact a thrombus. A marker can be coupled to, and extending around, the arcuate marker-mounting projection with the marker and the arcuate marker-mounting projection contacting each other at three discrete locations. A method for engaging a thrombus can include advancing a thrombectomy device to a location radially adjacent to a thrombus in a blood vessel. The thrombectomy device can be positioned such that a marker, disposed at a proximal end of a working length of thrombectomy device, is proximal to or longitudinally aligned with a proximal end of the thrombus, and can be expanded into the thrombus.