Vascular Implant Detachment via Differential Wire Flexibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current endovascular treatment methods for intracranial aneurysms lack efficient and reliable delivery and detachment mechanisms for vascular implants, leading to challenges in precise placement and release of treatment devices.
Innovation Solution
A vascular delivery system featuring a hub with a port, an anchor wire, and a control wire of different materials and geometries, allowing for precise control and easy detachment of implants by retracting the control wire to transition the anchor wire or collet from a flared or extended state to a relaxed state, enabling secure engagement and release within the vascular environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the anchor wire and control wire have the same flexibility, then both wires can be easily manipulated, but the anchor wire cannot maintain its position relative to the hub port during retraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material properties to different wires: the control wire is made of a more flexible material (e.g., nitinol) to facilitate manipulation and retraction, while the anchor wire is made of a less flexible material (e.g., stainless steel) to maintain its position and prevent deflection during the release process. This local differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between ease of manipulation and position stability.
2Ease of operation
If the port inner cross-sectional dimension is large, then both anchor portion and engagement portion can pass through simultaneously, but the delivery system cannot provide secure engagement with the implant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the port with dimensions that allow sequential passage: first the anchor portion passes through to establish initial engagement, then the engagement portion is retracted and passes through the port to secure the implant. The port dimensions are specifically engineered to accommodate this sequential process, providing secure engagement while allowing both portions to pass through at different times rather than simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If the control wire is made of more flexible material, then the engagement portion can deflect away from the anchor portion, but the control wire requires larger cross-sectional dimension to maintain structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter (flexibility) of the control wire by selecting a more flexible material such as nitinol with appropriate elastic properties. This allows the engagement portion to deflect away from the anchor portion during retraction while maintaining structural integrity through the material's inherent properties rather than requiring a larger cross-sectional dimension.
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
The system ensures accurate placement and reliable detachment of vascular implants, reducing friction and tensile loads, and facilitating easier separation from the implant, thus enhancing the safety and effectiveness of endovascular procedures.
Implementation Method 1
the control wire is of a second material, more flexible than the first material, such that the engagement portion is configured to deflect away from the anchor portion
Implementation Method 2
the anchor wire is of a first material and the control wire is of the second material less flexible than the first material, such that the anchor portion is configured to deflect away from the engagement portion
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Vascular delivery systems configured to deliver an implant to a location within a vasculature can include one or more control wires controllable by a user to detach the implant from the delivery system. Control wires can cause a feature of the delivery system to mechanically engage a hub at a proximal end of an implant. Proximal or distal movement of the control wire can allow the feature to disengage from the hub, thereby allowing release of the implant.