A novel left atrial appendage occluder design

Abstract

Percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion is a viable nonpharmalogical alternative for prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), especially for the patients who are unable to respond to oral anticoagulants. However, several device- or procedure-related complications were reported associated with existing implants. The aim of this study is to design and prototype a novel left atrial appendage occluder in order to prevent life-threatening complications. The proposed system allows to reduce LAA sac volume using a distal nitinol anchor while sealing the LAA ostium using a coated nitinol occluder frame. The sealing capability test of the prototyped occluder frame was performed on the phantom system mimicking left atrial with 12-30 mmHg pressure. Results have demonstrated LAA was successfully occluded and suggested that the percutaneous LAA closure with coated nitinol frame is favorable. The mechanical assessments have shown polyurethane is the promising candidate as coating material against other fabrics using in commercially available occluders. As a part of this thesis study, proof-of-concept coaxial catheter delivery system was prototyped to perform delivery and deployment of occluder frame and distal anchor, respectively. Consequently, this study presented a novel occluder design and provided a good starting point for further applications of prototyping.|Keywords : Left Atrial Appendage, Occluder, Atrial Fibrillation, Biomedical Device Design.