Binaural Cochlear Implant Lead Reinforcement Fiber
Solution Overview
Problem
Binaural cochlear implant systems require complex surgery with a high risk of damaging electrical wires during the implantation of contralateral electrode arrays, and existing solutions do not adequately protect the electrodes or minimize tissue healing time.
Innovation Solution
A binaural cochlear implant system with a lead containing a reinforcement fiber along the electrical wire, a fixation member for permanent attachment, and a disposable protection member to prevent damage during surgery, along with a multi-lumen tubing for separate wire and fiber positioning, reduces the risk of wire damage and minimizes tissue healing time by using a smaller tunneling size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a long silicone tubing is used to cover and protect the electrode array during tunneling, then the electrical wires are protected from damage, but the tubing sticks on the lead and is difficult to remove
Solution Approach 1:
The lead is divided into distinct functional segments: a reinforcement fiber for structural support, electrical wires for signal transmission, and a separate protective coating. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function without interfering with others, solving the problem of tubing adhesion while maintaining wire protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the protective function from the silicone tubing and assigns it to the reinforcement fiber and protective coating. The reinforcement fiber is taken out as a separate structural element that provides mechanical strength without the adhesive properties of silicone, eliminating the sticking problem while maintaining protection.
2Loss of time
If the lead thickness is reduced to minimize tunneling size, then tissue healing time is reduced, but the electrical wires become more vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The lead is constructed as a composite structure combining a reinforcement fiber (providing mechanical strength) with electrical wires (providing electrical function). This composite design allows the lead to have sufficient structural integrity for wire protection even when the overall lead thickness is minimized, thus reducing tunneling size and healing time while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement fiber acts as a counterbalancing element that compensates for the reduced thickness of the lead. By providing structural support through the reinforcement fiber, the lead can be made thinner without compromising the protection of electrical wires, effectively counteracting the vulnerability that would result from reduced thickness.
3Reliability
If a reinforcement fiber is added to the lead to protect electrical wires, then wire damage risk is reduced, but the lead structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement fiber is merged with the electrical wires within a single protective coating or sheath, forming an integrated lead structure. This combining approach protects the electrical wires while incorporating the reinforcement function without requiring separate external components, thus minimizing the increase in structural complexity while maintaining enhanced reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect, a binaural cochlear implant system is disclosed. The system includes an implantable stimulator; an ipsilateral cochlear implant electrode array connected to the stimulator and a lead connected to the stimulator at a first end of the lead and provided with a contralateral binaural cochlear implant electrode array at a second end of the lead, the lead being configured to be implanted beneath the skin above the skull of a hearing aid user, wherein the lead comprises at least one electrical wire connecting the contralateral binaural cochlear implant electrode array with the stimulator, and a reinforcement fiber running along length of the at least one electrical wire.