UV Laser Arterial Dilation for Low-Damage Clot Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for treating occlusive disorders in tubular anatomical structures, such as arteries, often cause damage to the vessel wall and are inefficient, leading to suboptimal patient recovery and potential long-term consequences.
Innovation Solution
A method using an optical fiber to deliver UV laser light in an annular beam to stimulate nitric oxide release from smooth muscle cells, minimizing mechanical contact and inducing radial expansion of the tubular structure, thereby facilitating thrombectomy with reduced endothelial and smooth muscle cell damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mechanical extraction methods (aspiration, stentriever) are used to remove clots, then clot removal efficiency is improved, but endothelial and arterial wall damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by using UV laser irradiation to induce vasodilation and reduce thrombus adhesion to the arterial wall before mechanical clot extraction. This pre-treatment step reduces the friction and chemical bonding between the thrombus and vessel wall, thereby enabling more efficient and less damaging mechanical removal. The UV laser treatment is administered prior to the mechanical extraction procedure, transforming the arterial wall-thrombus interface to facilitate subsequent mechanical intervention with minimal endothelial injury.
2Reliability
If multiple reinsertions (passes) are performed to remove clot, then complete clot removal is achieved, but mechanical interaction with vessel wall increases causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by using UV laser irradiation to induce vasodilation and reduce thrombus adhesion to the arterial wall before mechanical clot extraction. This pre-treatment step reduces the friction and chemical bonding between the thrombus and vessel wall, thereby enabling more efficient and less damaging mechanical removal. The UV laser treatment is administered prior to the mechanical extraction procedure, transforming the arterial wall-thrombus interface to facilitate subsequent mechanical intervention with minimal endothelial injury.
3Productivity
If high-intensity pulsed lasers are used to disrupt thrombus, then thrombus dissolution is achieved, but thermal damage to vessel wall occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal disruption mechanisms with photophysical photochemical mechanisms. Instead of using high-intensity pulsed lasers that cause thermal damage through heating and ablation, the invention employs UV laser light at specific wavelengths (e.g., 355 nm) that trigger photolytic release of nitric oxide from smooth muscle cells. This photophysical process dissolves the thrombus through biochemical mechanisms rather than thermal effects, thereby eliminating thermal damage to the vessel wall while maintaining effective thrombus dissolution capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by selecting specific UV laser wavelengths (e.g., 355 nm) that are absorbed by nitrite stores in smooth muscle cells to trigger photolytic nitric oxide release. This specific wavelength selection enables selective photophysical interaction with the target molecules (nitrite) without causing widespread thermal damage. The UV laser parameters (wavelength, pulse duration, intensity) are optimized to achieve thrombus dissolution through photochemical mechanisms while maintaining safety margins against thermal injury to the arterial wall.
4Productivity
If catheterization and angioplasty are used to physically enlarge vascular lumen, then occlusion is removed, but vessel wall injury occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical catheterization and angioplasty with photophysical UV laser-induced vasodilation. Instead of using mechanical balloons or catheters to physically expand the vascular lumen, the invention employs UV laser light to trigger nitric oxide release from smooth muscle cells, which causes biochemical relaxation and radial expansion of the vessel. This photophysical mechanism restores the vascular lumen without the mechanical trauma, intimal tearing, or vessel wall injury characteristic of conventional catheter-based angioplasty procedures.
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 UV laser-induced dilation method effectively reduces mechanical friction and chemical bonding during clot removal, enhancing the safety and efficacy of thrombectomy procedures by preserving arterial integrity and promoting rapid recovery.
Implementation Method 1
using ultraviolet (UV) laser light to photophysically stimulate release of nitric oxide from smooth muscle cells lining the tubular anatomical structure
Data Source
AI summary
Described is a method and device for dilating a tubular anatomical structure. The device and method can be useful for extracting a blood clot in an artery of a mammal by concentrically irradiating an inner wall of the occluded artery using an ultraviolet (UV) laser beam delivered by an optical fiber. Dilation results from photophysical production and release of nitric oxide from the cells lining the arterial wall when UV laser light is projected as a ring beam onto the inner arterial wall.