Valve Locking Mechanism for Percutaneous Heart Valve Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices for replacing heart valves are invasive and require significant recovery time, and existing methods for delivering and deploying these devices are not sufficiently efficient for less invasive procedures.
Innovation Solution
A medical device system that includes a catheter-based delivery system with an expandable anchor member and locking mechanisms, allowing for percutaneous deployment of a replacement heart valve, which is less invasive and reduces recovery time by using an expandable anchor member and locking mechanisms to secure the valve in place.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional surgical methods are used for heart valve replacement, then the valve can be securely replaced, but patient trauma and recovery time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is divided into multiple independent locking legs (first locking leg, second locking leg, etc.) that can engage with corresponding receiving portions separately. This segmentation allows the valve to be securely locked through multiple discrete engagement points while maintaining a minimally invasive delivery system that can be introduced through smaller incisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking legs and receiving portions are designed to nest together during deployment. The locking legs extend from the valve body and engage with receiving portions on the anchor or delivery catheter, creating a nested configuration that secures the valve in place while allowing for minimally invasive delivery through sequential nesting of components during the implantation process.
2Ease of operation
If an expandable anchor member with locking mechanisms is used, then the valve can be deployed less invasively, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the expansion of the anchor member. As the anchor member expands from its compressed delivery state to its deployed state, the locking legs automatically engage with the receiving portions through the expansion motion itself, eliminating the need for separate actuation mechanisms or complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism utilizes changes in the physical parameters of the anchor member during deployment. The expansion of the anchor member changes the position and orientation of the locking legs, causing them to engage with the receiving portions. This parameter-based actuation simplifies the overall device design by using the inherent mechanical changes during deployment rather than requiring additional actuation components.
3Reliability
If multiple locking mechanisms are used to secure the anchor member, then the valve deployment security improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking leg design serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the valve, acts as a locking element that engages with receiving portions, and serves as an attachment point for valve leaflets. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies manufacturing by consolidating multiple roles into a single structural element.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism components are integrated with the valve structure itself rather than being separate attachable parts. The locking legs are formed as integral portions of the valve assembly, and the receiving portions are incorporated into the anchor or delivery catheter design. This merging of functions and structures reduces the number of discrete manufacturing steps and assembly operations required.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve replacement implant may include an expandable anchor member having a proximal end and a distal end, the anchor member being actuatable between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration. A plurality of locking mechanisms may be configured to secure the anchor member in the deployed configuration. Each locking mechanism may include an axially movable post including a leg portion extending inwardly therefrom, and a receiving portion fixed to the anchor member, the receiving portion being configured to slidably receive the post. A plurality of valve leaflets may be disposed within a central lumen of the anchor member, the plurality of valve leaflets being secured to the leg portions of the plurality of locking mechanisms. The plurality of locking mechanisms may be releasably attached to a delivery device.