Prosthetic Heart Valve Delivery System Tensile Compression

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional surgical heart valve replacement procedures are invasive, cause significant patient trauma, and require extensive recuperation times, while minimally-invasive methods for delivering heart valve prostheses via catheters face challenges in efficiently compressing and deploying the devices within the patient's vasculature.

Innovation Solution

A delivery system with first and second attachment members that apply tensile forces in opposite directions to compress a prosthetic heart valve, allowing it to be radially constrained and efficiently deployed through the vasculature, featuring a frame with a first end portion, intermediate portion, and second end portion, and attachment members that move relative to each other to apply forces and facilitate compression and expansion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional surgical valve replacement procedure is used, then complete valve replacement can be achieved, but patient trauma and discomfort increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevalve replacement effectivenessVSAvoidpatient trauma

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The delivery system is divided into multiple components including a delivery catheter, expansion tool, and release mechanism. The valve prosthesis itself is segmented into a frame and valve assembly that can be independently positioned and deployed, allowing minimally invasive delivery while ensuring complete valve replacement functionality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The valve prosthesis is nested within the delivery catheter in a compressed state during delivery through the vasculature. The expansion tool is then inserted through the delivery catheter to deploy the valve at the target location, enabling minimally invasive delivery while achieving complete valve replacement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If minimally-invasive catheter delivery method is used, then patient trauma is reduced, but efficient compression and deployment of the valve device becomes challenging

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepatient traumaVSAvoidcompression and deployment mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The delivery system employs dynamic components including a movable expansion tool that can be advanced and retracted, and a release mechanism that transitions from constrained to unconstrained states. The valve prosthesis itself transitions from a compressed delivery state to an expanded deployed state, providing the necessary mechanical action for efficient deployment without increasing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The valve prosthesis is designed with self-expanding capabilities through its frame structure that automatically expands when released from the constrained delivery state. The balloon expansion mechanism utilizes fluid pressure to automatically deploy the valve at the target location, reducing the need for complex external deployment mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

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

Enables the minimally-invasive deployment of a heart valve prosthesis with reduced outer dimensions for navigation through the body, minimizing trauma and recovery time by effectively compressing and expanding the device within the patient's vasculature.

Implementation Method 1

the first attachment member applies a first tensile force to the first end portion of a medical device in a first direction and the second attachment member applies a second tensile force to the second end portion of a medical device in a second direction substantially opposite from the first direction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectTensile force: Tension

Implementation Method 2

the prosthesis can be re-expanded to be deployed at the implantation location

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElastic expansion: Elastic Recovery

Data Source

PatentUS10426612B2Medical device delivery systems and methods

Publication Date: 2019.10.01 MEDTRONIC VSACULAR GALWAY

AI summary

A delivery system for deploying a medical device includes a first attachment member configured to selectively couple to and radially constrain a first end portion of the medical device. The delivery system also includes a second attachment member configured to selectively couple to and radially constrain a second end portion of the medical device. The first attachment member is configured to move relative to the second attachment member such that the first attachment member applies a first tensile force to the first end portion of a medical device in a first direction and the second attachment member applies a second tensile force to the second end portion of a medical device in a second direction substantially opposite from the first direction.