Project Description:

As we age, our bodies become more susceptible to vascular blockages that increase the risk of stroke and in extreme cases, limb loss. To treat these blockages, Interventional Radiologists use catheters, hollow, flexible tubes, to navigate our blood vessels and deliver treatments. Radiologists often face the challenge of working with a catheter of the incorrect length. When the catheter is too short, the delivery mechanism will not be in range of the target blockage, and if the catheter is too long, the excess catheter length will hinder the ability to navigate blood vessels and the use of delivery mechanisms. To counter both issues, Interventional Radiologists remove the incorrect length catheter and replace it with another catheter, increasing procedure costs and times as well as increasing the risk of a fatal cardiac complication.

A catheter with an adaptable length would give interventional radiologists more control, by allowing them to change the length of the catheter before, and during the procedure. This would lead to a decrease in complications arising from the retrieval and reinsertion of various catheters when there is a length mismatch, decreasing the overall cost, time and waste of inventory during each procedure.

Our adaptable catheter, AdaptaCath, was created by implementing two new features into a standard hub design while maintaining its ability to work with other medical devices. First, a sliding and locking mechanism that allows for the custom sizing of the catheter length. Second, a cutting mechanism within the hub that secures and rotates a blade to ensure a uniform cut and remove the excess catheter length. Through these two features Interventional Radiologists will be able to treat their patients without the need for stocking hundreds of fixed sizes, reducing waste, cost and fatal complications that arise from catheter exchange.