Ultrasound Tracking and Locking for Medical Device Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ultrasound imaging systems fail to accurately and automatically place medical devices in anatomical structures that are actively moving, such as the left atrial appendage of the heart, due to difficulties in timing and positioning.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a locking mechanism to automatically place medical devices by providing real-time feedback and dynamically updating graphical markers on ultrasound scans to guide the device to the target location, using artificial intelligence and machine learning for precise tracking and deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual device placement is used in moving anatomical structures, then physician control is maintained, but placement accuracy deteriorates due to timing and positioning difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic device placement without requiring manual intervention for timing and positioning decisions. The locking mechanism autonomously identifies the optimal moment and executes deployment, eliminating the timing difficulties that plague manual placement while maintaining high accuracy through automated tracking and recognition of anatomical landmarks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated system that uses image processing, coordinate mapping, and algorithmic decision-making to determine placement timing and execute deployment. This substitution of mechanical/Manual operations with automated computational control resolves the contradiction between maintaining precision and reducing operational difficulty.
2Measurement precision
If automatic device placement is implemented, then placement accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases due to locking mechanism requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions: tracking the anatomical structure, identifying the target location, determining optimal timing, and executing device deployment. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional system rather than separate components, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining high placement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a locking mechanism as an intermediary between the physician's command and the actual device deployment. This intermediary handles the complex timing and positioning calculations, translating high-level instructions into precise mechanical actions, thereby managing complexity internally while presenting a simple interface to the user.
3Loss of time
If real-time tracking is used to follow moving structures, then placement timing is improved, but processing requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking and identification of anatomical landmarks before the actual device deployment. By continuously monitoring and pre-positioning the tracking data, the system is already prepared with timing information when deployment is needed, eliminating time loss without requiring complex real-time processing at the moment of deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system operates continuously throughout the procedure, maintaining an uninterrupted stream of positional data. This continuous action ensures that timing information is always available and up-to-date, eliminating gaps or delays in tracking while using efficient algorithms that manage computational complexity through sustained, steady-state processing rather than intermittent high-intensity computation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for placement of a medical device in an anatomical structure using a locking mechanism are provided. The method includes performing one or more ultrasound image acquisitions, detecting and tracking one or more anatomical structures in the one or more ultrasound image acquisitions, causing a display system to present a volume of a region of interest within or surrounding the one or more anatomical structures in the one or more ultrasound image acquisitions, processing the one or more ultrasound image acquisitions to identify a first location corresponding to a target placement location within the region of interest for a medical device, processing the one or more ultrasound image acquisitions to identify a second location corresponding to a location of a catheter including the medical device, and outputting a signal to deploy the medical device when the second location matches the first location.