Tiltable Implantable Medical Device with Spherical Capture Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable medical devices, such as vascular filters and occluders, often tilt within vessels, leading to loss of sealing and potential migration, especially when deployed in curved vessels or as multi-unit structures, which compromises their effectiveness and stability.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with a spherical capture element and a flexible coupling member, along with a stabilization member, allows the device to tilt while maintaining contact with the vessel wall, ensuring effective sealing and stability through a range of angles, and can be configured with multiple capture elements in series for enhanced performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a non-cylindrical structure (conical shape) is used for the medical device, then the device can be deployed in curved vessels and adapt to vessel anatomy, but the device tends to tilt within the vessel leading to loss of sealing and potential migration
Solution Approach 1:
The capture element is designed with a spherical shape formed by curved leg elements arranged substantially in a sphere. This spherical geometry allows the device to tilt at various angles while maintaining contact with the vessel wall, preventing migration and loss of sealing. The curved surfaces enable the device to adapt to curved vessel anatomy while maintaining stability through a range of tilt angles.
2Reliability
If alignment-maintaining elements are added to the device, then the device should maintain proper alignment in the vessel, but these elements do not necessarily achieve their intended function and may increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical shape of the capture element inherently provides alignment stability without requiring additional complex alignment-maintaining elements. The curved geometry naturally accommodates tilt while maintaining vessel wall contact, achieving reliability through geometric design rather than additional mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical capture element self-adjusts to maintain stability and sealing through its geometric properties. The device automatically adapts to vessel curvature and tilt angles without requiring external control mechanisms or complex alignment features, allowing the structure itself to provide the stabilization function.
3Productivity
If multiple capture elements are arranged in series to optimize performance, then the device captures more material and provides better filtering, but the device becomes longer and more prone to tilting when deployed in curved vessels
Solution Approach 1:
Each capture element in the series is designed with a spherical shape, allowing individual elements to tilt independently while maintaining contact with the vessel wall. This distributed spherical geometry enables the multi-element device to navigate curved vessels and maintain stability throughout its length, preventing migration while preserving the enhanced filtering efficiency of multiple elements.
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
The device maintains capturing efficiency and stability even when tilted, preventing migration and ensuring optimal performance in various vessel orientations, with the ability to limit tilt angles and adapt to vessel anatomy.
Implementation Method 1
a coupling member attached to the frame wherein the coupling member is at least partially flexible
Data Source
AI summary
The implantable medical device includes at least one frame having a rounded shape and formed of a plurality of rounded legs. In one embodiment, the device includes two frames having similar rounded shapes and coupled to one another by means of a flexible coupling. The flexible coupling enables the frames to tilt relative to one another and relative to a vessel in which the device is deployed. The rounded nature of the frames enables the frames to tilt in the vessel while retaining proper contact to the vessel wall and the functional characteristics of the frames. The device may have just one frame in some embodiments and three or more frames in other embodiments. The device may be a filter, an occluding device or any other suitable medical device.