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Introduction

VirtuCath™ helps you refine deflectable micro-catheter designs in hours instead of weeks. Define the layer stackup, characterize section stiffness, drive a digital twin under virtual pullwire actuation, and back-out the pre-reflow extrusions you need to procure, all on your local workstation, with no cloud dependency. Pre-tuned finite-element models then take you past the stiffness numbers and into the failure modes: the bend radius where a section kinks, and the force a shaft transmits before it buckles.

What VirtuCath does​

VirtuCath combines five engines under one interface:

  • Composite-mechanics calculator. Predicts section stiffness (EI, GJ, EA) and failure-mode KPIs (burst pressure, crush pressure, tensile and torque failure loads) from your layer stackup and material choices, using Classical Lamination Theory. Designs can be built on a round bore or on a shaped multi-lumen extruded core, including anisotropic bending for asymmetric profiles.
  • Steering simulator. Turns the static design into a digital twin you can deflect, observe, and instrument. Real-time tip position, bend radius, and pullwire tension feed back as you drive virtual pullwires.
  • Failure-mode simulations. Two pre-tuned finite-element models pick up where the closed-form calculator stops: Kink Radius bends a cross-section until it ovalizes, collapses, or takes a permanent set, and Pushability pushes the shaft to find the force it can transmit before buckling. Mesh, ramp, and resolution are set automatically, so there is no FE setup to do.
  • Reflow calculator. Backs out the raw extrusion dimensions, manufacturing tolerances, and heat-shrink ratios needed to actually build the design.
  • Design Sweep. Sweeps virtual Design of Experiments over your inputs and renders the resulting response surface so you can find the design-space sweet spot before committing to a prototype.

Together these let you evaluate hundreds of design variants in an afternoon, so the first physical build is anchored to calculated data rather than intuition.

What VirtuCath is not​

VirtuCath is a design aid, not a general-purpose FEA package. It does ship two finite-element models, but each is purpose-built to answer one question: Kink Radius solves a single 2D cross-section under bend, and Pushability solves a 2D push of the shaft. Neither replaces full 3D FEA of your device, and the toolchain as a whole makes these modeling assumptions:

  • Material behavior in the stiffness calculator and the steering simulator is linear and idealized. Non-linear material response lives only in the failure-mode models, where it is needed.
  • Shear deformation of catheter sections is not modeled, on the assumption that shear stiffness dominates over bending and torsional stiffness.
  • Material hysteresis and fully three-dimensional contact mechanics are not modeled anywhere in the program.

VirtuCath is intended as a design aid and for preliminary simulation purposes only. The results generated by this software are based on a simplified physics model and should not be considered a substitute for comprehensive physical prototyping, rigorous testing, or formal Verification and Validation (V&V) activities required for medical devices or other critical applications.

Users should exercise their own professional judgment when interpreting the simulation results and are solely responsible for the design, testing, and validation of any physical product based on or informed by the use of this software. VirtuCath, LLC disclaims any and all liability for decisions made or actions taken based on the information provided by VirtuCath.

  • System requirements: minimum hardware and OS requirements.
  • Installation and first launch: install, activate, and run your first simulation.
  • Catheter Setup tab: the wizard you'll spend the most time in.
  • Model accuracy: accuracy characterization for both the calculator and the steering simulator, including the bench validation of predicted stiffness (VR-VC-003) and downloadable verification and validation reports.