For problems with plaque buildup in arteries, we propose a catheter with ultrasonic waves that break up cholesterol in a small area and then the device removes the cholesterol.
Competitors
Capture Vascular
Advantages
Provides a way to remove remove clots intravenously.
Clears veins and arteries of harmful buildup without mechanized parts as to cause little as damage as possible.
Use sound waves instead of mechanical moving parts.
creates two dams to stop blood flow and stop buildup from leaving the site, which it is then vacuumed out of.
Disadvantages
relies entirely on the vac lock syringe.
possible build up not entirely removed.
Customer Validation
Patient For the patients, particularly those of the aged population and/or those afflicted with high cholesterol, this method promises to be a much more thorough way to remove plaque build ups in major arteries in the body and prevent future health problems such as strokes, heart attacks, or embolisms. This method of using powerful ultrasound waves instead of the brute force and scooping power of other plaque removal methods also prevents the pain and possible vascular damage that is often incurred using the alternate method, saving the patient substantial discomfort and money.
Payer Insurers will find interest in our product in a similar way patients will: it saves money in the long term. Pain medication and potential future surgeries that cutting plaque and clots often demand could be easily avoided if patients chose our method/product. Even compared to other ultrasound plaque removal devices, the ability ours has to dam off a section of a major artery to more comprehensively remove plaque from that section of an artery, helps delay or totally prevent the need for future surgeries to arise.
Physician Physicians would welcome our product as it provides a safer, thorough method to remove plague, one which is much less likely to cause vascular damage and possibly result in charges of malpractice when the symptoms of that damage arise.
"Provider" Providers will find our products cheaper than many alternatives including those of Capture Vascular and easily maintained for a product that is as cheap for them to purchase for their patients as possible.
Purchaser
Our promising product should interest many venture capitalists and larger companies who would naturally invest in a device that treats blood clots and plaque build ups in the safest and most cost effective way possible. A company holding the patent to our device would quickly be bought out by a larger one and hold more than enough financial success.
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No patentability | No or weak patent | Non-provisionals | Strong issued |
or freedom to | applications or | filed and pending | patents |
operate | Provisionals |or issued patents | |
In 1971, there was a patent US3565062A "Ultrasonic method and apparatus for removing cholesterol and other deposits from blood vessels and the like" and this is pretty similar to our product however we are also including a vacuum that sucks out the cholesterol right after bombing.
EP1391217A1 is also about "Over-the-wire catheter having a slidable instrument for gripping a guidewire" but this does not have the ultrasonic aspect.
We have currently no patent but we would not have to purchase a freedom to operate.
BME 100 Fall 2016
