Ultrasonic Thrombus Removal with Balloon Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thrombus removal methods, such as drug-induced thrombolysis, surgical thrombus removing, and mechanical interventional thrombus removing, face challenges like hemorrhage risks, difficulty in removing vein thrombi, secondary embolism, and vessel injury, with existing mechanical devices often breaking thrombi into fragments that are hard to capture and can cause further complications.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasonic thrombus removing system comprising a front and rear sheath tube with blocking balloons, a core tube with a breaker, and an ultrasonic excitation system that generates a high-speed pulsed jet stream to break and discharge thrombi, utilizing a liquid supply system and suction system for efficient fragment removal, ensuring protection of vessel ends and minimizing embolism risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If mechanical interventional thrombus removing devices penetrate through the thrombus to break and remove it, then the trauma is reduced and impact on the vein is minimized, but the thrombus fragments are difficult to capture and may cause secondary embolism
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the thrombus removal process into distinct functional zones: a protection balloon to contain fragments, a breaking element to fragment the thrombus, and a suction channel to remove fragments. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function effectively while preventing fragment embolism.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection balloon acts as an intermediary between the thrombus breaking process and the blood vessel lumen. It contains the thrombus fragments during breaking and prevents them from entering the circulation, thereby eliminating the harmful effect of secondary embolism while allowing mechanical thrombus disruption.
2Productivity
If guide wire penetrates through the thrombus center to break it, then thrombus breaking effectiveness is improved, but the guide wire is difficult to penetrate through the thrombus and may cause damages to the blood vessel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical penetration approach with a protection balloon that surrounds and contains the thrombus. The breaking element then operates within this protected space, using mechanical vibration and crushing rather than forceful penetration, thereby reducing vessel damage risk while maintaining breaking effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection balloon is inflated beforehand to create a safe working space around the thrombus before breaking begins. This pre-established protective barrier prevents direct contact between breaking elements and the blood vessel wall, cushioning against potential damage while enabling effective thrombus disruption.
3Quantity of substance
If baskets are used to collect thrombus after penetration, then thrombus collection is achieved, but the baskets may injure the tunica intima of the blood vessel and thrombus fragments flow through to cause embolism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the thrombus collection function from the breaking process by using a suction system that actively removes fragments through a dedicated channel. This separates the collection mechanism from the vessel wall, eliminating the injury problem associated with basket-based collection while ensuring complete fragment removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs hydraulic suction through a dedicated channel to remove thrombus fragments. This fluid-based removal method replaces mechanical basket collection, allowing fragments to be drawn away through negative pressure without physical contact between collection devices and the vessel wall, thereby preventing intima injury.
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 system effectively breaks and discharges thrombi into fine fragments, reducing the risk of secondary embolism and vessel injury, with real-time monitoring and control of working parameters for safe and efficient thrombus removal.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic excitation system configured to make the liquid medium supplied by the liquid supply system form a high-speed pulsed jet stream
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a liquid supply system and suction system for efficient fragment removal
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic thrombus removing system includes a front sheath tube (1) and a rear sheath tube (5) that are independent and that are inserted into a blood vessel (2); a rear end outer portion of the front sheath tube (1) is mounted with a front blocking balloon (105), and a front end outer portion of the rear sheath tube (5) is mounted with a rear blocking balloon (504); a breaking cavity (4) being formed between the two blocking balloons; the front blocking balloon (105) and the rear blocking balloon (504) expand or contract in the blood vessel (2) by means of the squeezing or loosening of an external force so as to block or open front and rear sides of the thrombus (3); an inner portion of the rear sheath tube (5) is provided with a core tube (502) that co-axially penetrates therethrough, a front end of the core tube (502).