Variable Injection Flow Catheter with Movable Elongate Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices face challenges in achieving precise and accurate fluid delivery during thermal procedures, such as cryogenic treatments, due to fluctuating thermal conditions and interference from body fluids, which can reduce the efficacy of heat transfer and prolong treatment durations.
Innovation Solution
The development of a medical device with a catheter body and fluid delivery conduit system that includes a movable elongate member, constructed from shape memory materials, to selectively obstruct or modulate fluid flow through tapered sections and multiple outlets, allowing for precise control of fluid delivery and thermal exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If refrigerant flow is increased to maintain cooling efficacy in dynamic physiological environments, then heat transfer effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable elongate member that can dynamically adjust its position within the fluid delivery conduit to modulate refrigerant flow. This dynamic adjustment mechanism allows the device to adapt to changing physiological conditions (such as blood flow variations) by varying the degree of obstruction, thereby maintaining optimal heat transfer effectiveness without requiring an overly complex control system. The elongate member's position can be changed to provide different flow resistance levels, enabling real-time adaptation to environmental changes.
2Productivity
If treatment duration is reduced to improve procedural efficiency, then productivity increases, but control precision over fluid delivery may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by varying the position of the elongate member within the fluid delivery conduit to modulate refrigerant flow rate. By adjusting the obstruction level of the elongate member, the system can precisely control the amount of refrigerant delivered to the treatment site, enabling accurate thermal delivery even during shortened treatment durations. This parameter adjustment capability allows for optimized treatment protocols that reduce time while maintaining control precision.
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
This solution enables optimized fluid delivery and thermal interaction, allowing for shorter treatment durations and increased efficacy by accurately regulating fluid flow and heat transfer, even in dynamic physiological environments.
Implementation Method 1
expanding to low pressure and temperature through positive Joule-Thomson throttling
Implementation Method 2
undergoing a phase change from liquid to vapor, thereby absorbing heat of vaporization
Implementation Method 3
The resultant flow of low temperature refrigerant through the device acts to absorb heat from the target tissue and thereby cool the tissue to the desired temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device having a catheter and a fluid delivery conduit entirely disclosed within a portion of the catheter. The catheter may have a thermally transmissive region in fluid communication with the fluid delivery conduit and a rod disposed within at least a portion of the fluid delivery conduit. The medical device may control variable fluid flow with the ability to modify the effective cross-sectional area of the fluid delivery conduit available for fluid flow. Additional configurations provided herein may allow for the selective manipulation of a footprint or therapeutic pattern achievable with the medical device during a single procedure, negating the need for the removal and insertion of multiple devices to achieve the same variations in treatment geometry or characteristics.