Bioactive Glass Shunt with Integrated Medicine Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stents in anatomic vessels require frequent replacement due to blockages and associated risks, and there is a need to enhance their ability to heal wounds with minimal transplant rejection and controlled medication delivery.
Innovation Solution
A bioactive silicate (e.g., bioactive glass) medicine carrier and shunt, made of bioresorbable and water-soluble materials, featuring micro capillary members and fiber bundles with integrated medicine storage and directional check members, allowing for localized and controlled release of medications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional stents are used with swallowed anti-inflammatory drugs, then wound healing is achieved, but frequent replacement is required due to blockages and transplant rejection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the stent structure with integrated medicine storage chambers and delivery mechanisms into a single device. The stent includes internal cavities and channels that store and control release of anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring medications, eliminating the need for separate medication administration and reducing replacement frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces biodegradable polymer coatings and matrix structures as intermediaries that control medication release. These polymers embed medications and provide controlled diffusion to the vessel wall, ensuring sustained therapeutic effect while the stent remains in place.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If large amounts of medicine are dissolved in blood through swallowing, then wound healing is achieved, but transplant rejection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent delivers medications directly to the local site of vessel wall injury through integrated storage chambers positioned against the vessel wall. This localized delivery ensures high concentration of anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring drugs at the target site while minimizing systemic circulation and associated side effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent structure itself serves as the medication delivery system, with built-in storage chambers and release mechanisms that automatically provide controlled dosing without requiring external administration. The device self-regulates medication release based on contact with blood and vessel wall conditions.
3Ease of operation
If stents are replaced frequently due to blockages, then wound healing can be maintained, but operational risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates biodegradable polymers that gradually degrade over time, allowing the stent structure to dynamically transition from a rigid support to a more flexible state as healing progresses. This reduces long-term blockage risk while maintaining initial structural support needed for wound healing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the stent materials over time through biodegradation. The stent begins with high mechanical strength to maintain vessel patency during healing, then gradually degrades to reduce thrombogenicity and blockage risk, extending the functional life of the device.
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 bioactive glass shunt minimizes transplant rejection, controls medication release over time, and ensures effective wound healing with a small amount of medication delivered directly to the wound site, reducing the need for frequent replacements and associated risks.
Implementation Method 1
glass being adapted to be bioresorbable and water soluble
Implementation Method 2
adapted to be bioresorbable in a predetermined period of time
Implementation Method 3
micro capillary member made of bioactive silicate
Data Source
AI summary
A combination bioactive silicate (e.g., bioactive glass) medicine carrier and shunt of one embodiment includes a shunt which is a tubular member made of bioactive silicate or glass being adapted to be bioresorbable and water soluble, or fiber bundle, the shunt including an insertion end at a first end. Gaps in the bioactive silicate or gaps in the glass adapted to be bioresorbable and water soluble are served as at least one storage for storing medicines.