Vascular Occluder with Coated Sealing Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vascular occluders face challenges in being easily overgrown with tissue and promoting thrombus formation due to their metal mesh structure with interstices and structured surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A medical implant with hood-like coated sealing elements, where the expanded shaping part of the sealing element is covered, minimizing structured surfaces and reducing thrombosis risk, and produced from a tubular body with strategically placed wall openings for enhanced dimensional stability and ease of deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a metal mesh structure is used for the sealing element, then the implant can be minimally invasively positioned and expanded, but the structured surface promotes thrombus formation and slows tissue overgrowth
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a coating layer (thin film) over the metal mesh sealing element. This coating creates a smooth surface that reduces thrombus formation while allowing the underlying metal mesh structure to maintain its expandability and minimal invasive positioning capabilities. The coating acts as a protective shell that modifies the surface properties without compromising the structural function.
2Reliability
If a metal mesh structure is used for the sealing element, then the implant can be expanded to seal the vessel opening, but the interstices and structured surface hinder rapid tissue overgrowth
Solution Approach 1:
The coating layer provides a continuous smooth surface that facilitates rapid tissue overgrowth while the underlying metal mesh maintains the sealing function. The coating bridges the interstices of the metal mesh, creating an uninterrupted surface that accelerates endothelialization without compromising the mechanical sealing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element combines metal mesh (for structural integrity and sealing) with a coating material (for smooth surface and rapid tissue integration). This composite structure integrates the advantages of both materials: the metal provides expandability and sealing reliability, while the coating promotes rapid tissue overgrowth and reduces thrombosis risk.
3Reliability
If the sealing element has an expanded shaping part with structured surface, then it can effectively seal the vessel opening, but the exposed structure increases thrombosis risk
Solution Approach 1:
The coating layer completely covers the structured surface of the expanded shaping part, creating a smooth external surface that contacts the blood flow. This eliminates the thrombogenic effect of the metal mesh structure while the expanded shaping part maintains its sealing function against the vessel wall.
Data Source
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AI summary
The implant (10) has sealing elements (11, 12) space apart from each other and extended in diameter, where the implant is minimum-invasive positioned in an contracted state and converted in an expanded state and made of shape memory polymer. The sealing elements seal vessel opening and/or shunt connection on both sides and include cap-shaped coats (25, 26). The coats include two halves (29, 32) that are connected, stuck and welded with each other. The sealing elements include a bar or wire, and the coat of the sealing elements is connected with the bar or wire. The coat is formed to made of plastic, Teflon(RTM: PTFE), and/or textile material.