Ventricular Partitioning Device Peripheral Seal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for congestive heart failure, such as drug therapy and surgical procedures, are invasive, costly, and often ineffective in improving heart function, with limited options for patients who do not qualify for heart transplantation or require temporary measures like mechanical assist devices.
Innovation Solution
A ventricular partitioning device with a reinforced, radially expandable frame and flexible membrane is deployed within the heart to partition the chamber, reducing heart volume and stress on weakened tissue, thereby improving ejection fraction and diastolic function.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If surgical procedures are used to dissect and remove weakened portions of the ventricular wall, then heart volume is reduced, but the procedure is highly invasive, risky and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the left ventricle into a functional region and a non-functional region using a partitioning membrane, allowing the weakened portion to be isolated without physical removal of tissue. This achieves volume reduction while avoiding the invasiveness of surgical resection.
Solution Approach 2:
The partitioning device acts as an intermediary structure between the functional and non-functional myocardium, creating a physical barrier that prevents blood flow into the non-functional region while maintaining the integrity of the ventricular wall and avoiding direct surgical intervention.
2Productivity
If mechanical assist devices are used to increase blood flow, then pumping function is improved, but the devices are extremely invasive and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The device extracts or removes the non-functional, blood-trapping portion of the left ventricle by partitioning it off, thereby improving blood flow and pumping efficiency without requiring external mechanical assist devices. The functional myocardium is liberated from the burden of pumping into the non-functional region.
3Productivity
If the partitioning device expands radially to reduce heart chamber volume, then ejection fraction is improved, but the flexible membrane may create folds or wrinkles that prevent adequate sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The partitioning device uses a flexible membrane that can conform to the ventricular wall geometry while maintaining sealing integrity. The flexibility allows the membrane to accommodate radial expansion and contraction without creating folds or wrinkles that would compromise the seal between the functional and non-functional regions.
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 device effectively increases ejection fraction and improves heart function by reducing the heart's volume and stress on weakened tissue, allowing for more normal diastolic and systolic movement and increasing blood flow, providing a less invasive and more sustainable treatment option compared to existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
An expansive member extends between at least one pair of adjacent ribs to exert enough pressure to the flexible membrane periphery when the partitioning device is in an expanded configuration to ensure an adequate seal between the membrane periphery and the lining of the heart wall
Data Source
AI summary
A partitioning device for separating a patient's heart chamber into a productive portion and a non-productive portion which is suitable for treating patients with heart disease, particularly congestive heart failure. The partitioning device has a reinforced membrane with outwardly biased members to help seal the periphery of the membrane against the wall of the patient's heart chamber. In one embodiment, the outwardly biased member is an expansive strand that extends between adjacent ribs of an expandable frame which reinforces the membrane. In another embodiment, the outwardly biased member is a hydrophilic body such as foam which swells upon contact with body fluid such as blood in the heart chamber. The reinforced membrane has a central hub with a distally extending support stem with a plurality of feet which extend radially from a centerline axis and preferably have ends that are aligned in a common plane. The ends of the pods which extend radially away from the centerline axis may be interconnected by flexible struts and/or webs.