Boston Scientific – Scimed Automatic Pull-Back Device
This motorized pull-back device (APD) is used in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) procedures. It pulls IVUS imaging catheters backward through blood vessels at a precise, uniform speed.
The Design Challenge
During intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) procedures, maintaining a precise, uniform catheter pull-back typically required cumbersome sterile plastic sleeves and lacked seamless one-handed operation as the sled included costly mechanisms making it a reusable part.
The Design Solution
By housing all mechanisms within the handheld component, the new design eliminates the need for sterile sleeves by making the sled a disposable part optimized for one-handed, "plug-and-play" docking. The rounded, upward-bending sled guides the cable into place to ensure a controlled, repeatable pull-back motion, while its round interface provides physicians with clear visual and tactile feedback. Additionally, the complex geometry was engineered to be manufactured using a standard clamshell mold design, successfully bypassing the need for complex, costly tooling actions.