Unmet Need
The angioplasty of blood vessels is successfully completed in almost 90% of patients that require the procedure and is universally accepted as being an effective and durable method for restoring flow to occluded blood vessels. However, blood vessels are often always curved, yet commercial angioplasty balloons are manufactured only in straight configurations. Inflating a straight balloon in a curved blood vessel can cause traumatic injuries to the vessel and may result in poor deployment of a balloon-expandable stent. Thus, there is a need for a balloon that can account for the curvature that exists in blood vessels.
Technology Overview
The inventors have created a balloon that expands in a curved configuration, allowing decreased wall trauma during angioplasty and stenting of curved blood vessels. One current prototype idea consists of a balloon that may be constructed of multiple trapezoid-shaped segments. When the segments are inflated, the angles resulting from the shape will force the balloon into a curved shape. A second prototype idea consists of a rigid, constraining wire that runs along the length of the balloon, fixing the length from the distal to proximal ends of the balloon. This will make sure that during inflation, the balloon expands radially, but is constrained in length. Thus, the balloon will only lengthen slightly, which forces the balloon into a curved configuration. Other prototyping ideas may include substituting the rigid wire component for any other substantially linearly rigid material.
Stage of Development
The invention is currently in the prototyping phase.
