Variable Diameter Angioplasty Balloon Catheter Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current angioplasty balloon catheters require multiple exchanges during procedures, limiting their ability to perform both diagnostic and therapeutic functions efficiently, especially when accessing distal arteries.
Innovation Solution
The development of an angioplasty balloon catheter with a variable diameter shaft, featuring a larger proximal shaft for superior pushability and torqueability, and a smaller distal shaft for enhanced trackability, along with a transition segment and dedicated lumens for guide wire passage, balloon inflation, and fluid injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a uniform diameter shaft is used in angioplasty balloon catheters, then manufacturing is simpler, but pushability and trackability in distal arteries are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter shaft is divided into multiple segments with different diameters: a proximal shaft portion with a first diameter and a distal shaft portion with a second diameter. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function - the proximal portion for pushability and the distal portion for trackability - while resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and operational performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the shaft are given different local qualities (diameters) to optimize performance in specific regions. The proximal shaft has a larger diameter for superior pushability, while the distal shaft has a smaller diameter for enhanced trackability in distal arteries. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing each region to have the quality it needs for its specific function.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple catheter exchanges are performed during procedures, then diagnostic and therapeutic functions can be performed, but procedural efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter is designed with multi-functionality, incorporating both diagnostic capabilities (via the distal opening for contrast injection) and therapeutic capabilities (via the balloon for angioplasty) in a single device. The variable diameter shaft and dedicated lumens enable this universal functionality, allowing the catheter to perform both diagnostic and therapeutic procedures without requiring exchange, thereby improving procedural efficiency.
3Force
If a larger diameter shaft is used, then pushability is improved, but trackability in small distal arteries deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is segmented into proximal and distal portions with different diameters. The proximal portion has a larger diameter to provide superior pushability, while the distal portion has a smaller diameter to enable enhanced trackability in small distal arteries. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing each portion to have the diameter optimized for its specific function.
Solution Approach 2:
Different local qualities (diameters) are assigned to different portions of the shaft. The proximal shaft portion has a first diameter optimized for pushability, while the distal shaft portion has a second diameter optimized for trackability. This local quality differentiation allows the catheter to simultaneously achieve both pushability and trackability without compromise.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed invention is in the field of medical devices, namely angioplasty balloon catheters. The embodiments provide an angioplasty balloon catheter that has favorable features of a variable diameter shaft, such as pushability, torque, and trackability, enabled by a transition between a proximal shaft of a first diameter and a distal shaft of a second smaller diameter. Other favorable features of the invention include the ability to obturate bleeding when placed in a blood vessel without an enveloping sheath, and the ability of the larger proximal shaft to accommodate fluid injection functions.