Adhesive Structure with Tissue Piercing Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical implants require mechanical fixation with sutures or staples for secure placement, which can cause tissue damage and complicate surgical procedures, and there is a need for implants that can adhere to tissues without chemical interaction while minimizing damage.
Innovation Solution
Development of adhesive structures with planar surfaces and rectangular cuboid-based protrusions having pyramidal tips, made from biocompatible polymers, that mechanically interact with tissues to enhance adhesion without chemical bonding, allowing for secure attachment without mechanical fixation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical fixation with sutures or staples is used to secure implant placement, then reliability of implant placement is improved, but tissue damage increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical fixation system (sutures and staples) with a biomimetic adhesive system featuring micropapillae structures on the implant surface. These microprotrusions create mechanical interlocking with tissue at the microscopic level without requiring external fasteners, thereby eliminating suture/staple-related tissue damage while maintaining secure attachment through biological interface mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The implant surface is segmented into numerous micropapillae structures (micro-scale protrusions) distributed across the contact area. This segmentation allows the implant to achieve secure attachment through the cumulative effect of many small mechanical interlocks rather than a few large fixation points, distributing stress and minimizing localized tissue damage while maintaining overall attachment reliability
2Reliability
If mechanical fixation with sutures or staples is used to secure implant placement, then reliability of implant placement is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the implant body with its fixation functionality by integrating micropapillae structures directly onto the implant surface. This eliminates the need for separate sutures, staples, or other external fixation components, reducing device complexity while maintaining secure placement through the inherent adhesive and mechanical interlocking properties of the microstructured surface
Solution Approach 2:
The implant's micropapillae structures provide self-fixation capability by automatically creating mechanical interlocks with tissue upon placement. The structure serves both as the implant body and its own fixation mechanism, eliminating the need for additional fixation systems and reducing overall device complexity while ensuring reliable attachment
3Force
If protrusions are made large enough to pierce and attach to tissue securely, then adhesion force is improved, but tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from macro-scale protrusions to micro-scale micropapillae structures, changing the dimensional scale of the adhesive elements. This dimensional reduction allows the protrusions to penetrate and interlock with tissue at the microscopic level sufficient to generate strong adhesion forces, while the reduced scale prevents excessive tissue damage that would occur with larger protrusions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the geometric parameters of the micropapillae structures, including their height, diameter, spacing, and distribution density across the implant surface. By carefully controlling these parameters, the design achieves sufficient penetration depth for strong mechanical interlocking and adhesion force generation, while keeping the protrusion dimensions small enough to minimize tissue damage and maximize biocompatibility
Data Source
AI summary
An implant having an adhesive structure comprising a planar surface having two sides and rectangular cuboid-based protrusions having pyramidal tips extending from at least one of said sides, optionally having a porous basic supporting structure, and methods of making and using such implants.