Medical Design Briefs - March 2022 - 20

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Tubing/Extrusion
The Journey Toward Intelligent Catheters
T
he journey toward intelligent
catheters is an important one, not
only from the clinician's perspective,
but also from the patient's.
Their development is necessary to accelerate
the shift from costly, burdensome surgical
treatments toward cost-effective and
patient-friendly, minimally invasive interventions.
In order treat a wide range of
patients and types of disease, it is crucial
to have smaller and more flexible, high
signal capacity catheters at the surgery
team's disposal.
This type of tool will provide surgeons
with the high-quality imaging to precisely
identify patient anatomy to help maximize
the safety and efficacy of the procedure.
Decreasing size and in creasing
the flexibility of these catheters will help
physicians more effectively navigate
demanding patient anatomy, resulting
in efficient and accurate devices or therapeutic
delivery. Together, these ad -
vancements result in tangible, direct
benefits for the patients, such as greater
access to safer, less-invasive procedures,
with quicker recovery times.
Intelligent catheters, with new diagnostic
and therapeutic capabilities, en ables
the development of new, advanced therapies
for diseases that are currently treated
by complex surgical procedures. This will
not only allow for more individuals to be
treated, but will minimize risks, improving
quality of life and reducing death rates for
these patients.
Intelligent catheters will allow a
wider range of functions to be integrated
into single, small devices in a costeffective
and industrially feasible manner.
Since catheter-based procedures
are typically done on an outpatient
basis, they do not require an expensive
OR suite or recovery in a hospital bed,
helping to ease the gap in availability of
surgical treatments across different
demographics or countries.
To this end, solutions such as multifilar
cables and multi-channel transmission
cables (MCT) represent a breakthrough
in the design of medical device
cables that take us one step closer on the
journey to the next generation of these
important devices.
20
Cov
100µm
Multi-channel transmission (MCT) cables enable new data-rich signals to be utilized in therapies such as
intracardiac echocardiogram, ultrasound endoscopy, and intervascular ultrasound (IVUS). (Credit: Junkosha)
Multi-Filar Active Catheter Solution
The innovation behind the multifilar
active cables is a significant
breakthrough. Multi-filar cables can
have a capacity of up to 60 lines -
depending on AWG size or pitch -
and are designed to provide not only
increased functionality but also more
signals into formerly inaccessible
areas of the body. Using Junkosha's
precision- engineered PTFE lamination
technology, single strand configurations
are joined into a multi-filar
assembly that can be utilized in electrophysiology
catheters for applying
pacing and recording protocols from
inside the heart, ablation, and balloon
ablation catheters for atrial fibrillation
as well as cardiac mapping.
Multi-filar cables provide increased functionality and more
signals into formerly inaccessible areas of the body.
(Credit: Junkosha)
The multi-filar technique also allows for
easier assembly of the signal or power
wires into the final medical device, making
the overall manufacturing process simpler
and more cost-effective.
The process of manufacturing multifilar
wires is complicated. Junkosha has
perfected this process by being able to
accommodate the specific requirements
www.medicaldesignbriefs.com
ToC
for the final product design. For example,
each individual strand can be color coded
in the material, in accordance with specific
industry standards or to make connection
operations more simplified in downstream
operations. The bond strength
between the individual strands can be
adjusted to maximize strength for challenging
assembly conditions or optimized
for difficult separation processes. MultiMedical
Design Briefs, March 2022

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Medical Design Briefs - March 2022

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