Adaptive Stent Mitigating Thrombosis via Shear Stress Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional stents are prone to failure due to neointimal formation and stent thrombosis, leading to reocclusion and increased healthcare costs, with current monitoring systems requiring manual intervention and limited wireless capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive shear responsive endovascular implant with a distributed network of flow sensors and a custom integrated circuit processor that analyzes fluid flow to eliminate low wall shear stress areas, preventing plaque adherence and restenosis through localized geometric changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional metal stents are used as vascular scaffolds, then they provide structural support to prevent abrupt closure, but they are subject to failure due to neointimal formation and stent thrombosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the stent surface properties through coating with specific polymers (biodegradable vs. permanent) and loading with antiproliferative drugs that alter the biological response. The stent transitions from a passive metal structure to an active system that changes its surface characteristics over time to prevent neointimal formation and thrombosis, thereby improving reliability while addressing harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining metal stent structures with polymer coatings and drug-loaded layers. This multi-layer composite approach integrates the mechanical strength of metal with the biocompatibility and drug delivery capabilities of polymers, creating a system that provides structural support while actively preventing neointimal formation and stent thrombosis through controlled drug elution.
2Reliability
If biodegradable vascular scaffold is used instead of metal stent, then it dismantles over 3-5 years leaving the artery stent-free, but it has less rigidity than traditional metal stent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by using poly-L-lactic acid as the backbone material, which undergoes controlled degradation over 3-5 years. The material transitions from a rigid structural support to a gradually degrading scaffold that maintains strength when needed and then safely dismantles, leaving the artery stent-free. This temporal parameter change allows the stent to provide necessary rigidity during the critical healing period while ensuring long-term artery health.
3Loss of information
If current monitoring systems are used for stent performance, then they can detect pressure and blood flow, but they require manual intervention and have limited wireless capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by implementing an autonomous wireless monitoring system that automatically detects and transmits stent performance data without requiring manual intervention. The system continuously monitors pressure, blood flow, and temperature, and autonomously communicates this information to clinicians, eliminating the need for manual device interrogation and ensuring continuous surveillance of stent health status.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms by establishing a continuous monitoring and communication loop between the implanted stent sensors and external clinical systems. The wireless transmission of real-time data provides immediate feedback on stent performance, allowing clinicians to detect early signs of neointimal formation or thrombosis and intervene promptly, thereby improving patient outcomes through timely information.
Data Source
AI summary
A stent apparatus, system, and method that senses wall shear stress by measuring fluid flow at localized areas within the stent, that processes measured information through an integrated circuit, and selectively sends power to mechanically controllable stent surfaces which results in localized geometric changes. In various embodiments the stent apparatus, system, and method sends data to outside the body in real time.