Expandable Valve Support Frame for Stable Leaflet Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for improved expandable intraluminal support frames and medical devices, particularly for prosthetic valves, that enhance the effectiveness of composite devices including a support frame and additional elements, such as graft members or leaflets, which are implantable by minimally invasive techniques.
Innovation Solution
The development of an expandable support frame with a specific serpentine path configuration and connector segments, including parallel struts and curvilinear struts, which allows for the attachment of leaflets with domed radii equal to or less than the expanded configuration radius, providing structural redundancy and facilitating minimally invasive deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an expandable support frame is used to provide structural support for intraluminal medical devices, then the device can be delivered and deployed minimally invasively, but the structural integrity and stability of additional elements (such as leaflets or graft members) attached to the frame may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame is divided into multiple segments including serpentine paths and connector segments with parallel struts. This segmentation allows the frame to be compressed for minimally invasive delivery while maintaining structural integrity when expanded. The segmented design with multiple attachment points along the serpentine paths provides stable anchoring for additional elements like leaflets and graft members.
Solution Approach 2:
The support frame incorporates serpentine paths with curved configurations that provide structural redundancy and flexibility. The curved geometry allows the frame to expand to a predetermined shape that maintains structural integrity while accommodating the attachment of additional elements. The serpentine curvature distributes mechanical stresses evenly, enhancing the stability of attached components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the support frame structure is simplified for easier manufacture and deployment, then manufacturing cost and deployment complexity are reduced, but the structural redundancy and ability to maintain structural integrity during expansion may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame is designed with parallel struts and connector segments that serve multiple functions simultaneously. The same structural elements provide both the framework for minimal invasive delivery and the structural redundancy needed for strength. The serpentine paths and connector segments work together to provide both ease of deployment and structural integrity, eliminating the need for separate redundant support structures.
Data Source
AI summary
Support frames and medical devices are described. An example medical device comprises an expandable support frame with first and second leaflets attached to the support frame. Each of the first and second leaflets defines a domed radius that is equal to or less than the radius of the expandable support frame when the expandable support frame is in an expanded configuration and the leaflets are subjected to fluid pressure sufficient to affect closure of the valve orifice.