Venous Valve With Self-Expanding Frame and Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for repairing or replacing venous valves in the body's venous system are invasive and not widely successful, leading to chronic venous insufficiency and complications such as swelling and ulcers in the legs due to inefficient blood flow regulation.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive valve apparatus with a self-expanding frame and cover that can be implanted in the venous system to regulate blood flow, featuring a resilient design that collapses and expands to fit the body lumen, and includes radiopaque markers for precise positioning, allowing for unidirectional blood flow and anchoring to prevent retrograde flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct or indirect valvuoplasty procedures are used to repair damaged valves, then valve function can be restored, but the procedures are tedious and require invasive surgical operations
Solution Approach 1:
A catheter is introduced as an intermediary device to deliver the valve apparatus minimally invasively through the venous system to the treatment site, avoiding open surgical procedures while enabling valve repair through the catheter-based delivery system
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical surgical approaches with a self-expanding valve apparatus that is delivered through a catheter and automatically expands at the target site, eliminating the need for complex surgical instrumentation and manual valve repair techniques
2Reliability
If transposition or transplantation procedures are used to replace incompetent valves, then valve replacement can be achieved, but the procedures are invasive and have limited success rates
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter serves as an intermediary delivery system that transports the valve apparatus through the bloodstream to the incompetent valve site, enabling replacement without open surgery and improving success rates through precise catheter-based positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The valve apparatus transitions from a compressed delivery state to an expanded functional state through parameter changes in its structural configuration, allowing it to adapt to the target venous anatomy and achieve reliable valve replacement
3Reliability
If prosthetic valves are transplanted into the venous system, then valve replacement can be performed, but current devices are not successful enough to see widespread usage
Solution Approach 1:
The valve apparatus utilizes a flexible cover that can be compressed for delivery and then expands to form functional valve leaflets, achieving reliable valve performance through a simple yet effective flexible membrane design rather than complex mechanical structures
Solution Approach 2:
The valve apparatus is designed to self-expand and self-position at the target site through its inherent elastic properties and frame structure, eliminating the need for complex deployment mechanisms and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high performance
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 apparatus effectively maintains antegrade blood flow while reducing retrograde flow, providing a minimally invasive solution for venous insufficiency that can be tailored to individual patient needs and promotes natural valve orientation, thus addressing the inefficiencies of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
both the frame and the cover can resiliently radially collapse and expand
Implementation Method 2
The valve can include one or more radiopaque markers
Data Source
AI summary
A venous valve with a frame and a cover on the frame for unidirectional flow of a liquid through the valve.