Variable Diameter Stent With Tensioning Adjustment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stents are difficult to reposition or remove once deployed in a tubular structure within the body due to their fixed expanded diameter.
Innovation Solution
A stent with an elastic tubular body and an adjustable mechanism, comprising a braiding of helically wound strands and a tensioning system, allowing the outside diameter to be varied using a bracket, tension adjustor, and tensioning wire, enabling the stent to be expanded or reduced for repositioning or removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional stent is positioned and expanded in place, then the stent provides stable support for the tubular structure, but the stent cannot be repositioned or removed
Solution Approach 1:
The stent employs a dynamic adjustment mechanism with movable adjustment members that allow the stent diameter to be changed from an expanded state to a collapsed state. This enables the stent to transition between providing stable support and allowing for repositioning or removal, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The stent utilizes parameter changes in its diameter through the adjustment mechanism. By changing the diameter parameter from expanded to collapsed, the stent can maintain reliability during deployment and then become adaptable for repositioning or removal when needed
2Strength
If a stent has a fixed expanded diameter, then the stent maintains its structural integrity, but the stent cannot be reduced for repositioning or removal
Solution Approach 1:
The stent transitions from a static fixed-diameter structure to a dynamic adjustable-diameter structure through the adjustment mechanism. The movable adjustment members allow the stent to maintain structural integrity when expanded and then be reduced for easy repositioning or removal
Solution Approach 2:
The stent structure is segmented into adjustable components with adjustment members that can be independently moved. This segmentation allows the stent to maintain its overall structural integrity while enabling localized diameter adjustment for repositioning or removal operations
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 stent to be effectively repositioned or removed from a tubular structure by adjusting its outside diameter, addressing the challenge of fixed diameter stents and providing flexibility in deployment and retrieval.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic tubular body and an adjustment mechanism for the moving the first end of the body toward or away from the second end of the body such that the outside diameter of the body increases when the first end of the body is moved towards the second end of the body, and such that the outside diameter of the body decreases when the first end of the body moves away from the second end of the body
Implementation Method 2
The elastic tubular body comprises a braiding of a first group of spaced apart helically wound first elastic strands and a second group of spaced apart helically wound second elastic strands
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices are disclosed for supporting and holding open a tubular structure in the body of an animal or human. In one form, the device is a manually adjustable variable outside diameter stent that can be repositioned or removed. The stent includes an elastic tubular body and an adjustment mechanism for the moving two ends of the body toward or away from each other. The elastic tubular body comprises a braiding of two groups of spaced apart helically wound elastic strands. The adjustment mechanism includes a bracket, a tension adjustor, and a tensioning wire attached to the bracket and the tension adjuster. The bracket and the tension adjuster are attached to one or more of the elastic strands of the two groups. Using the adjustment mechanism, the distance between the bracket and the tension adjustor can be decreased causing the outside diameter of the body to increase, or vice versa.