KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

The Challenge

KCL had developed a rapid-prototyped steerable ablation catheter model with 3 degrees of freedom and the ability to be guided robotically under MRI imaging, and they needed a partner to develop this technology to the next stage.

The Solution

KCL briefed us to progress the rapid-prototyped design to advanced proof-of-concept level with four key objectives:

1. Design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA), including; segment design development and sealing of the catheter from the intracardiac environment.
2. Material selection for mechanical properties, compatibility with sterilisation and MRI, biocompatibility  and mechanical perfomance.
3. Catheter steering performance to achieve bend radius, consistency, tip force capacity, deliverability.
4. Whole-catheter design considerations.

Benefit to Client

In just 9 months CDP developed and delivered full-length prototypes that exceed key regulatory requirements such as the
challenging ISO tip pull test. KCL have achieved key in-vitro test results allowing them to plan for clinical trials.

"We have been delighted with the results of Cambridge Design Partnership’s work on this project, their engineering approach and the practical improvements they managed to incorporate. They delivered fully moulded parts, and specified other components and the assembly route which fully met our aspirations for the project" Professor Kawal Rhode, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London
 

www.kcl.ac.uk/innovation/innovation/Kings-Commercialisation-Institute/