Design and Control-Oriented Simulation of a Superelastic Nitinol Steerable Microcatheter Tip for Ischemic Stroke Thrombectomy

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability and thus requires specialized treatment. The present work describes the design and control-oriented simulation of a smart steerable microcatheter tip based on Nitinol superelastic alloy for thrombectomy. The proposed framework allows for predictive and safe catheter navigation by combining experimental material characterization, electromechanical modeling, and control design. Experimental validations of key material properties, such as hemocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and full superelastic behavior, were incorporated into an environment created in MATLAB/Simulink. The bending curvature of a safe blood vessel was exactly followed by means of delay-guaranteed bandwidth-limited dynamical feedforward and feedback regulation. Simulation-based results validate steering and dynamic response, as well as safe interaction with blood vessel walls. Ultimately, from the work described in this paper, we hope to present a proposal for an entire framework for relating biomaterial properties with control performance that could stimulate safer and more efficient robot-assisted procedures in combating thromboembolic diseases.