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Brushless DC Motion Solutions for Medical Disposable Tools
Disposable Medical Tools for Minimally Invasive Surgeries: Selecting the Optimum BLDC Motion Solution
Minimally invasive surgery refers to any surgical procedure that is performed through tiny incisions instead of a large opening in the body. Portescap’s focus over the past few years has been to design and develop innovative motion solutions for minimally invasive medical tools for treating various diseases.
Treating Arterial Diseases (Coronary, Peripheral):
Peripheral Arterial Diseases in humans results in reduced flow of blood to the limbs due to narrowed arteries. The narrowed arteries are a result of the calcium deposits or buildup of fatty deposits in your arteries, causing symptoms such as leg pain while walking or doing regular chores. Coronary artery disease is a similar buildup of plaque in the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood but this time in your heart and can cause symptoms including chest pain or discomfort and shortness of breath.
To treat the above diseases, Atherectomy is emerging as the preferred minimally invasive technique for removing deposits from blood vessels within the body. Atherectomy devices are highly dependent on having a reliable, precise, powerful motion solutions for the procedure to be highly effective since the motion solution is guiding the catheter inside the body and providing motion to the shaver which in turn takes away the plaque deposits. Once a surgery is completed, the device is disposed of (single use).
Motion solutions which can deliver high power at high operating speeds and operate at absolute precision but still can be cost optimized for the single usage are ideal for this type of device. In particular, Portescap’s ECP range of Ultra EC™ BLDC slotless motors with 16mm diameter are tailor made for such applications, and are also available in 2 different length sizes, 36mm and 52mm.
Many such atherectomy devices still use an internal gearing system which acts as a speed multiplier due to the fact that there are shortage of motion solutions which can run at extremely high speeds which adds to the overall noise (more mechanical parts), weight and cost of the system. Portescap believes it can help to solve this problem by providing a standard cannulated motor design which can help in eliminating the additional gearing parts but at the same time not compromising on the high-speed capabilities by optimizing its BLDC slotless motors towards meeting that target with a cannulated shaft design.
Treating Blood Clots in the Circulatory System (Thrombosis):
Thrombosis occurs due to various chemical reactions between blood cells known as platelets and proteins in the body creating a clot and remains there, hindering blood flow. These conditions emerge because of obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, or a stressed or inactive lifestyle.
Currently, mechanically operated Thrombectomy devices are starting to venture into being powered by motion solutions. Cost optimized motion solutions which can deliver high power at high operating speeds and operate at absolute precision for better patient outcomes will be the key to helping this transition. For Thrombectomy device makers who have a strategic vision of transitioning from a manually operated to an electrified solution, Portescap’s ECP range of Ultra EC™ BLDC slotless motors with 16mm diameter are perfect solution for these applications. These motors are also available in 2 different length sizes, 36mm and 52mm.
Treating Aortic Valve Stenosis:
Whenever heart's aortic valve thickens due to calcium deposits, it leads to the valve not able to open fully. This results in the blood flow not reaching from the heart to the rest of the body and can produce symptoms such as fatigue, swelling of limbs, difficulty to breath, and chest pain. If left untreated it may result in heart failure and cardiac arrest.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure which is becoming very popular in treating aortic valve stenosis. In this procedure, a catheter containing the artificial valve is run through the blood vessel to the diseased aortic value and the diseased one is replaced by the artificial one.
Motion solutions play an important role in this whole process since it drives the precise movement of the catheter inside the body and also controls the opening of the artificial value and precise placement. Due to the nature of the surgery, which is critical to life, miniature motion solutions need to be compact, powerful, precise and accurate and there is no room for error. Portescap can offer varied technologies (slotted & slotless) in a very small frame size of just 12mm diameter, can meet or exceed the performance requirements while maintaining a cost efficiency needed for such single use devices.
As you can see there are many considerations for motion solution options for disposable medical tools. Early engagement with your motor supplier can help reduce product timelines and improve the outcomes for the most optimal motion solution to meet your performance requirements.
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