Thrombectomy Marker Mounting for Precise Thrombus Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Blood vessel occlusions, such as those caused by thrombi, disrupt blood flow and can lead to tissue deprivation of oxygen and nutrients, potentially resulting in cellular death, which increases with the duration of the occlusion.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with an elongate manipulation member and a thrombectomy device featuring expandable arcuate marker-mounting projections and markers to facilitate precise positioning and engagement with thrombi, allowing for effective thrombus removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If markers are attached to the thrombectomy device to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The marker is integrated within the marker-mounting projection structure, with the marker nested inside the projection's concave surface. This nesting approach allows the marker to be positioned accurately while maintaining a compact device structure, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The marker-mounting projection features a concave surface that is curved to receive and hold the marker. This curved geometry provides precise positioning of the marker while maintaining structural simplicity, thereby improving measurement precision without significantly increasing device complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the thrombectomy device is made expandable to improve thrombus engagement, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The thrombectomy device incorporates expandable marker-mounting projections that can transition between compressed and expanded states. This dynamic structure allows the device to adapt to different thrombus sizes and vessel geometries, improving adaptability while maintaining relatively simple device architecture through the use of self-expanding or balloon-expanded mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is divided into multiple expandable segments or projections that can independently expand to engage the thrombus. This segmentation allows for adaptable engagement with thrombi of varying sizes while keeping each individual segment structurally simple, thereby improving overall adaptability without proportionally increasing device complexity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple arcuate marker-mounting projections are used to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The marker-mounting projections are designed with a universal arcuate geometry that serves multiple functions: providing precise marker positioning, enabling device expansion, and facilitating thrombus engagement. This multi-functionality allows a single projection design to achieve high positioning accuracy without requiring multiple different component types, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining ease of manufacture.
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.