Vacuum Hood Catheter Stabilization for Myocardial Injection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Minimally invasive medical procedures, such as injecting agents into the myocardium, face challenges with maintaining precise needle positioning due to heart motion and the risk of trauma, perforation, and loss of injected material.

Innovation Solution

Catheters equipped with a vacuum hood and stabilization elements, including a vacuum source, for secure attachment to the heart wall, providing stability and minimizing trauma during injections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a catheter is used for injection into the myocardium, then minimally invasive access is achieved, but precise needle positioning is difficult to maintain due to heart motion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveminimally invasive accessVSAvoidneedle positioning precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

A vacuum hood is introduced as an intermediary device between the catheter and the heart wall. The vacuum hood engages with the heart wall through vacuum attachment, providing a stable platform that isolates the injection site from heart motion, thereby maintaining positioning precision while preserving minimal invasive access

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If needle penetration is performed to inject agents into tissue, then treatment delivery is achieved, but trauma, laceration or perforation of the heart wall may occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment deliveryVSAvoidtrauma and perforation risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The vacuum hood is deployed beforehand to create a sealed engagement with the heart wall, establishing a protected working space. This pre-establishment of a stable interface cushions and constrains the needle during penetration, reducing the risk of trauma and perforation while enabling effective treatment delivery

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Ease of operation

If the needle is exposed during injection, then access to tissue is achieved, but inadvertent movement may cause loss of injected material or embolic complications

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetissue accessVSAvoidinjection material retention
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The vacuum hood serves as a mediator that creates a controlled, isolated environment for the injection procedure. By maintaining vacuum attachment to the heart wall, it stabilizes the injection site and prevents inadvertent needle movement, thereby ensuring injection material retention while preserving ease of tissue access

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

Enhances stability and reduces trauma to the heart wall and vasculature, ensuring secure attachment and minimizing the risk of embolic complications.

Implementation Method 1

a vacuum source and which may be used during injection of agents, cells and/or other material into tissue including the myocardium or other tissue of the heart

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum: Vacuum

Implementation Method 2

employing suction/vacuum to attach to the wall of the heart

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSuction: Suction

Data Source

PatentEP4061460B1Isolation and attachment catheters and methods for using them
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 CLPH LLC
  • EP4061460B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4061460B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4061460B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for navigating within the heart and attaching to the wall of the heart for performing injection of one or more agents into tissue. The system includes an outer catheter, a mid catheter slidably disposed within a lumen of the outer catheter, and a needle catheter slidably disposed within a lumen of the mid catheter. The mid catheter includes a vacuum hood attached to a mid catheter distal end such that a radiopaque distal tip of the mid catheter extends into the vacuum hood. The vacuum hood includes at least two radiopaque features, the spatial relationship of which visibly changes under fluoroscopy when the vacuum hood is under sealed vacuum.