Barbed Bioabsorbable Implant Maintains Sinus Ostium Patency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical methods for dilating anatomical passageways, such as sinuses, often struggle to maintain patency due to lack of structural integrity in the surrounding tissue, leading to potential closure of the dilated opening.
Innovation Solution
Deployment of an implant with resilient barbs and a bioabsorbable or compressible body within the dilated ostium to provide structural support, using an image-guided surgery navigation system for precise placement, which helps prevent reduction in the opening's size and ensures long-term patency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If a balloon is inflated to dilate an anatomical passageway, then the opening size is increased, but the surrounding tissue lacks structural integrity to maintain patency
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is deployed into the dilated ostium immediately after balloon dilation to provide preliminary structural support before the tissue can heal and maintain the dilated state. The barbs are initially contained within the catheter and only engage with the tissue after the ostium is dilated, providing timely reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant consists of multiple discrete barbs distributed along its length, each capable of independently engaging with the tissue wall. This segmentation allows the implant to provide distributed structural support around the dilated ostium, reinforcing the entire circumference rather than relying on a single anchoring point.
2Stability of the object's composition
If an implant with barbs is deployed to maintain patency, then structural integrity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The implant integrates multiple functions into a single device: the barbed structure provides both anchoring to the tissue wall and circumferential support to maintain ostial patency. The bioabsorbable material combines structural support during the critical healing period with eventual dissolution, eliminating the need for separate anchoring mechanisms or permanent implants.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter serves as an intermediary delivery system that simplifies the deployment process. It contains the compressed implant during delivery, positions it accurately at the target site using image guidance, and then releases the implant which self-expands to engage with the tissue. This intermediary system reduces the complexity of direct surgical implantation.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the implant remains in place long-term, then patency is maintained, but the implant may need to be removed after serving its purpose
Solution Approach 1:
The implant is designed to be temporarily discarded in the sense that it fulfills its support function and then dissolves naturally through bioabsorption. The body's natural metabolic processes break down the bioabsorbable material over time, eliminating the implant without requiring surgical removal. This approach trades the complexity of removal procedures for the simplicity of natural dissolution.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implant effectively maintains the dilated state of anatomical passageways by providing structural integrity, preventing closure and ensuring improved drainage and ventilation through sustained support.
Implementation Method 1
sensors (e.g., electromagnetic coils that emit electromagnetic fields and/or are responsive to externally generated electromagnetic fields)
Implementation Method 2
an implant with resilient barbs and a bioabsorbable or compressible body
Data Source
AI summary
An implant delivery system includes a catheter, an implant, and a push body. The catheter extends from a first proximal end to a first distal end. The catheter defines an inner lumen extending through the first distal end. The implant includes a second proximal, a second distal end, and a plurality of resilient barbs. The implant is slidably housed within the inner lumen. The implant is compressed in the inner lumen such that the implant bears against an inner diameter of the inner lumen and the implant is retained within the inner lumen by friction. The push body is slidably housed within the inner lumen of the catheter. The push body is adjacent to the second proximal end of the implant.