The present invention relates to safely connecting a guidewire to a connector, for example a circuit board assembly.
Guidewire assemblies comprising guidewire with a sensor mounted at its distal tip are routinely used in intravascular imaging. The sensor of the distal tip of the guidewire is usually connected to an interface cable, connecting to external equipment such as for example monitors, control units or computers.
Blockages of blood vessels (including veins or arteries) may occur in various parts of an animal (e.g., a human or a non-human animal) and may have significant repercussions. In an ischemic stroke, for example, a blood clot fully or partially blocks blood flow in a cerebral artery. If the clot is not treated quickly, insufficient blood flow may cause irreparable damage to the brain.
Blockages may be caused by blood clots, which may be caused by coagulation of red and/or white blood cells and/or platelets within a blood vessel. The coagulation may be triggered by a variety of factors, including an injury, abnormal blood flow at the site of the blockage, a disease/condition predisposing an animal to coagulation, and/or other factors.
A common treatment of a clot is chemical dissolution of the clot, which is feasible within the first 4.5 hours following blockage of a blood vessel. Another common option is mechanical thrombectomy, in which an aspiration catheter or a stent-retriever is used to remove the blood clot from the blood vessel.
Stent-retrievers include a stent attached at the end of a wire. The stent is deployed into the vasculature and into the clot, expanded into the clot, and, after a typical waiting time of 0.5 to 10 minutes, extracted to pull the clot out of the blood vessel. Due to non-optimal grabbing of the clot by the stent-retriever, some parts of the clot may be left by or be lost from the retriever, such that several succession treatments (an average 3 times) may be necessary to treat the blockage and restore circulation in the vessel.
An early determination of the nature of the clot, performed using a guidewire as describe above, may result in an enhanced treatment of said clot. A known technique for determining the nature of the clot includes applying the sensor assembly of the guidewire to the clot, in order to measure an evolution of the clot impedance over a predetermined frequency range. The corresponding electrical signals are conveyed along the length of the guidewire, which is connected, at its proximal end, to a processing unit, through a connection transmitter.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,428,336 discloses a known connection transmitter. This transmitter comprises a series of electrical contacts arranged along a longitudinal axis. The proximal end of the guidewire is inserted along said longitudinal axis, until each electrical contact of the connection transmitter is in electrical contact with a corresponding guidewire contact, said guidewire contacts being successively arranged along a longitudinal direction of the guidewire, at a distance from each other.
However, such device is not satisfactory. Indeed, the operation described above results in greater wear of the guidewire contacts that are closer to the tip of the guidewire, due to the successive friction of the guidewire contacts against the electrical contacts of the connection transmitter. Moreover, handling of the guidewire and the connection transmitter during said connection is cumbersome, for instance due to said friction, which may result in breakage of the guidewire.
Therefore, a purpose of the invention is to provide a connection transmitter that is easier to use than the known connection transmitters, while reducing the risks of deterioration of the guidewire.
This invention thus relates to a connection transmitter aimed at connecting a guidewire to a connector assembly, the connection transmitter comprising:
Thus, this solution achieves the above objective. In particular, it allows the obtaining of a reduction of the wearing of the connection blades and further of a reduced homogeneous wear of said blade while providing an easy and handy connection device.
The connection transmitter according to the invention may include one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation from one another or in combination with one another:
The invention further relates to a connection kit comprising a connection transmitter according to any one of the hare above listed technical features, and a guidewire aimed at being introduced at least partially inside the connection transmitter.
The connection kit according to the invention may include one or more of the following characteristics, taken in isolation from one another or in combination with one another:
The invention further relates to a connection process aimed at connecting a guidewire to a connector assembly of a connection transmitter, the connection process being implemented by means of a connection transmitter according to any one the here-above listed technical features, said connection process comprising following steps in the order of enunciation:
The process according to the present invention may comprise a step before the introduction of the guidewire inside the longitudinal connecting element, said additional step being the switching of the connection transmitter into its non-connecting configuration.
The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will emerge more clearly on reading the detailed explanatory description which follows, of embodiments of the invention given by way of illustration, purely illustrative and non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings:
As can be seen on
As well known by any person skilled in the art, a guidewire 12 is a wire or spring used as a guide for placement of a larger device or prosthesis, such as a catheter or intramedullary pin, inside a patient's body. The guidewire may also be used to probe tissues of a patient, such as tissues surrounding a clot or the clot itself. The present invention is about connecting a guidewire 12 of about 0.2 to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.35 mm. In this particular intention, the guidewire 12 comprises at least one circumferential contact zone 13 (see
As shown on the figures, the connection transmitter 10 according to the present invention comprises:
As can be seen on
In some preferred embodiments, the material used for the casing 16 comprises a resin manufactured by FormLabs®: White Resin Standard. It is an ABS-like resin usually used for stereolithography printing. Regarding the size, the casing 16 presents a length comprised between 140 and 150 mm, preferably 148.5 mm and a diameter comprised between 25 and 30 mm, preferably 28 mm.
In some embodiments, the casing 16 is a removable casing.
In some embodiments, the connector assembly may be, as illustrated in
The connector assembly 14 comprises at least one connection blade 20 extending along a transversal axis Y. Each blade 20 is aimed at being put in contact with one corresponding contact zone 13 of the guidewire 12, in order to establish an electrical connection.
The transversal axis Y is sensibly perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X.
Each connecting blade 20 presents a width comprised between 2 and 3 mm, preferably 2.6 mm and a height comprised between 6 and 8 mm, preferably 7.5 mm.
Regarding the present invention, each connection blade 20 comprises at least one finger 201 at its free end. In one embodiment (not represented) the finger may display a general “C” shaped portion either it the extremity of the finger 201 or at its end. The guidewire 12 can cross said C shaped section. In an alternative, not represented embodiment, each finger 201 is simply slightly inclinable and bends under the pressure force exerted by and/or the weight of the guidewire put in contact with it. The finger 201 could also be provided, on its extremity, with a platform aimed at connecting the guidewire 12. On the embodiment illustrated on
The blades 20 preferably comprise some kind of copper-beryllium alloy (Cu Be) and are further coated with Nickel (Ni) and Gold (Au) to enhance their electrical properties.
Regarding the illustrated embodiment, the connector assembly 14 comprises six connection blades 20 extending along the transversal axis Y. The six connection blades 20 are aligned along the longitudinal X axis, aligned with the longitudinal connecting element 18 (see
The longitudinal connecting element 18 presents a length comprised between 30 and 50 mm, preferably 42 mm.
The longitudinal connecting element 18 is translatable, within the casing 16, through the opening 16a, along the transversal axis Y. The connecting element 18 is longitudinally secured to the casing in order to avoid any unwanted longitudinal sliding along the X axis, as will be later described. When the connection transmitter 10 is functional, the connecting element 18 can only translate transversally along the Y axis.
The longitudinal connecting element 18 is aimed at receiving a guidewire 12. More precisely, as can be seen on
The longitudinal connecting element 18 is specifically designed to avoid radial or transversal sliding of the guidewire 12 once it is introduced in it. More precisely, the longitudinal connecting element 18 only allows the longitudinal sliding of the guidewire 12, as can be deduced from
Once the guidewire 12 is introduced inside the longitudinal connecting element, it is important that the guidewire remains in place, in all directions. Therefore, in order to further lock the introduced guidewire 12 longitudinally along the X axis, the longitudinal connecting element 18 and the casing 16 both comprise wire longitudinal locking elements 24 aimed at cooperating together when activated. On the depicted embodiment, as can be seen on
Advantageously, the longitudinal connecting element 18 further comprises a longitudinal registration element, for instance a distal wall of the longitudinal cavity 22. The longitudinal registration element is designed so that, when the distal tip the guidewire 12 rests against said longitudinal registration element, each contact zone 13 of the guidewire 12 is located in a respective transversal cavity 26 of the longitudinal connecting element 18. Said transversal cavities 26 will be described below.
The longitudinal connecting element 18 further comprises at least one transversal cavity 26 extending along the Y axis. This at least one transversal cavity 26 is aimed at cooperating, by transversal translation, with the at least one connection blade 20 of the connector assembly 14. The number of connection blades 20 is preferably the same as the number of transversal cavities 26. This way, each connection blade 20 corresponds to one corresponding transversal cavity 26. For example, on the embodiment illustrated on
As can be seen on
As can be seen on
The configuration of the connection transmitter 10 is changed by translating transversally (along the Y axis) the longitudinal connecting element 18 within the casing 16.
In the non-connecting configuration, the transversal cavities 26 of the longitudinal connecting element 18 and the connection blades 20 of the connector assembly 14 are positioned in two distinct planes, with respect to the transversal axis Y.
In the connecting configuration, the transversal cavities 26 of the longitudinal connecting element 18 and the connection blades 20 of the connector assembly 14 are positioned in the same plane, regarding the transversal axis Y, leading to a transversal cooperation by engagement, at least partially. Thus, if a guidewire 12 is introduced inside the longitudinal connecting element 18 in the non-connecting configuration, the, by transitioning into this connecting configuration, the guidewire 12 is put in contact with at least one of the connecting blades 20 of the connector assembly 14, as the blades 20 fill the space within the transversal cavities 26 crossed by the guidewire 12. This way, the connecting configuration enables to connect the guidewire 12 introduced inside the longitudinal connecting element 18, and more specifically the contact zones 13, with the connection blades 20 of the connector assembly 14. This is illustrated on
Regarding the wire longitudinal locking elements 24, when the connection transmitter 10 is in its connecting configuration, as explained above, the polymer locking block 24a secures the guidewire 12 thanks to friction. However, in case no guidewire 12 has been introduced inside the longitudinal connecting element 18 yet, if the connection transmitter 10 is in its connecting configuration, the polymer locking block 24a has a further purpose: preventing a user to insert the guidewire 12 without activating the longitudinal connecting element 18 and sliding it into the non-connecting configuration in which the connection blades 20 are disengaged from the transversal cavities 26. This protects the connecting blades 20 that could be damaged if a lateral stress is applied to them by forcing a wire among them longitudinally (i.e., along the longitudinal axis X) instead of transversally.
One of the main issues of any kind of connection system is the wear of the connecting elements, in particular the asymmetrical wearing of said elements. In order to avoid said asymmetrical wear and ensure a homogeneous wear of the connecting blades 20 of the connector assembly 14, the connecting configuration of the connection transmitter 10 enables to connect any guidewire 12 introduced inside the longitudinal connecting element 18, with each connection blade 20 at the same time. This is made possible by the transversal translation movement of the longitudinal connecting element 18 within the casing 16.
The wire longitudinal locking elements 24 cooperate together when the connection transmitter 10 is in its connecting configuration in order to avoid any longitudinal sliding of the introduced guidewire 12.
In the embodiment shown on the figures, the default, or resting configuration of the longitudinal connecting element 18 is the connecting configuration. In some not represented alternative embodiment, the default or resting configuration could be the non-connecting configuration. The default/resting configuration is maintained by means of a transversal locking element 28 secured to the longitudinal connecting element 18 and aimed at transversally cooperating with the casing 16. In the embodiment depicted on
To allow activation of the longitudinal connecting element 18, the longitudinal connecting element 18 comprises an activation switch 30, said activation switch 30 being operable from outside the casing. More precisely, the activation switch 30 enables to deactivate/unlock the transversal locking element 28 and thus enabling the longitudinal connecting element 18 to translate transversally (along the Y axis), thus leading to a configuration change. In the embodiment depicted on
The sliding elements 34 may comprise at least one tab 34a located on one of the slider 32 and the casing 16 (for instance at the opening 16a), and at least one corresponding transversal groove 34b located on the other one of the casing 16 and the slider 32, depending on the embodiment. Each tab 34a is aimed at sliding inside its corresponding transversal groove 34b, thus allowing the slider 32 to slide transversally with regards to the casing 16, and thus allowing the connected element 18 to slide transversally inside the casing 16.
The connection transmitter 10 according to the present invention enables to implement a connection process aimed at connecting a guidewire 12 to a connector assembly 14 of said connection transmitter 10. With regards to the represented embodiments, the connection process comprises following steps in the order of enunciation:
In some alternative embodiment in which the default/resting configuration is the non-connecting configuration, the first step would not exist.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
21306130.2 | Aug 2021 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2022/072669 | 8/12/2022 | WO |