Pulmonary Embolism Extraction Catheter Development

Trip CothrenLauren NicholsDustin Temple

Advised by: Dr. Michael Barnett, VUMC Cardiology

Problem There are over 600,000 cases of

pulmonary embolisms annually in the United States, which result in nearly 60,000 fatalities.

Systemic thrombolytics can be dangerous Need a catheter that can quickly and

effectively remove pulmonary embolisms

Goals The goal of this project is to design a catheter that

can efficiently remove an embolism from the pulmonary artery. The main goals of the project are:• To research and evaluate current technology in pulmonary

embolism extraction

• To design a catheter that can successfully remove embolisms percutaneously and completely without damage to the patient

• To produce a feasible prototype of our design

Our Design Combined ideas from multiple existing

medical products• Inferior vena cava filter• Absorbable hemostat• Local clot busting drug administration

Security from multiple backups

Filter Based off inferior vena

cava filter Umbrella-like device Expandable to various

sizes Use of Nitinol

Nitinol Different Nickel/Titanium composition Can be easily annealed and set Is used in orthodontics Biocompatible Advantageous price and strength

Preliminary CAD

Surgicel or Gelita Material that attracts clots

• Oxidized cellulose polymer• Used clinically for over 50 years

Coat prongs of filter Prevent clots pieces

from going downstream Made by Ethicon

Trellis Catheter Device Inflatable back-end

“clot-catching” device

Local drug delivery

Use of guide wire

Design Parameters Approximately 2 m in length Umbrella-like filter that deploys from tip Device expands to15 mm in diameter Clot attracting material coating filter Local thrombolytic injection to break up

clot

Function Parameters Time frame of < 1 hr Embolus located via x-ray angiography Typically done by interventional

radiology or cardiothoracic For use when systemic thrombolytics are

not viable option

Potential Problems Hemolysis causes release of adenosine

when cells lyse Bradycardia or heart failure Renal failure Unpredictable thrombolytic tolerance Mechanical damage to vessel wall

Current Work Decide local

thrombolytic elution Choose best type of

Surgicel or Gelita Develop Nitinol usage Refine model using

Pro Engineer

Future Work Meet with Dr. Barnett and Dr. Bream to

discuss feasibility of ideas Calculate force of push of memory wire

against vessel wall Ensure biocompatibility of all materials Meet with Ethicon sales representative

References http://www.medgadget.com/archives/img

/sidcath.jpg http://www.socalcardiology.com/media/a

ngiojet.jpg http://www.lexmed.com/images/

cathphoto2.jpg