Vascular Valve Retraction Compensation via Fiber Orientation and Crosslinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical valves for treating venous insufficiency often face issues with retraction of remodelable covering materials during tissue integration, leading to distortion and variance in shape and size, which affects the valve's functionality and blood flow efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The development of vascular valve devices with a frame and a remodelable covering that undergoes retraction, featuring adaptations such as fiber orientation and excess material to minimize retraction, and treatments like crosslinking and coating with retraction-reducing agents to maintain the desired target configuration and enhance blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a remodelable covering material is used in the valve device, then the valve can be implanted and allow blood flow, but the covering material undergoes retraction during tissue integration causing distortion and variance in shape and size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-attaching the covering material to the frame in a first configuration before implantation, and designing the frame structure to compensate for anticipated retraction. The frame is configured with specific geometric features and attachment methods that account for the covering material's tendency to retract during tissue integration, ensuring the valve achieves the desired target configuration after remodeling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by modifying the physical and chemical properties of the covering material through treatments such as crosslinking and coating with retraction-reducing agents. These treatments alter the material's retraction characteristics to minimize distortion during tissue integration, while the frame geometry is also optimized to compensate for remaining retraction effects.
2Shape
If the covering material is treated to reduce retraction, then the valve configuration is maintained better, but the material properties are altered requiring additional treatment steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by implementing specific treatments to the covering material, including crosslinking to reduce retraction and coating with retraction-reducing agents. These treatments modify the material's physical and chemical properties to minimize distortion during tissue integration, balancing improved shape maintenance with additional manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining the covering material with crosslinking agents and coating substances to create a multi-component system. This composite approach integrates multiple functions into a single material system, simultaneously achieving reduced retraction and improved tissue integration while streamlining the manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
Described are vascular valve devices for implantation in a patient. The vascular valve devices are designed to compensate for the retraction characteristics of a remodelable material used to form one or more leaflets. Alternatively, or in addition, the devices are designed to reduce retraction of the remodelable leaflet-forming material. Further described are methods for preparing and using these vascular valve devices.