Biodegradable Adhesive Spring-Loaded Stent Resists Recoil
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stents, especially those with thin struts and susceptible designs, are prone to recoil after angioplasty, leading to reduced patency and the need for re-intervention due to insufficient radial force maintenance in body channels and cavities under varying pressure conditions.
Innovation Solution
A biocompatible and biodegradable adhesive is applied using Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) to join surfaces of a medical device, allowing for gradual release of mechanical load and reshaping, enabling the device to expand over time and resist compression, and potentially release pharmaceutical agents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If stents with thin struts and susceptible designs are used, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the radial force maintenance deteriorates leading to stent recoil
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is pre-loaded with spring elements during manufacturing that store mechanical energy. This preliminary action of loading the spring allows the stent to automatically exert radial force on the vessel wall after deployment, counteracting recoil without requiring additional active components or complex control systems during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-loaded mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the degradation of a biodegradable adhesive that initially holds the spring in a compressed state. As the adhesive degrades in the physiological environment, the spring automatically expands and applies radial force to the stent, eliminating the need for external actuation systems or additional power sources.
2Adaptability or versatility
If biocompatible and biodegradable adhesive is used to join surfaces, then the device becomes more adaptable and versatile for drug delivery, but the manufacturing precision and control of mechanical load release require advanced techniques
Solution Approach 1:
A biodegradable adhesive layer is introduced as an intermediary substance between the stent struts and drug reservoirs. This adhesive serves multiple functions: it provides initial mechanical bonding during deployment, enables controlled drug release through degradation, and allows for the integration of spring-loaded mechanisms. The adhesive's degradation rate can be tuned to control the timing and rate of mechanical load release and drug delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The adhesive's degradation rate is controlled by modifying its chemical composition and structural parameters. By adjusting the polymer composition, molecular weight, and crosslinking density of the biodegradable adhesive, the manufacturing process can be optimized to achieve specific degradation profiles that match the desired drug release kinetics and mechanical load release timing, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling versatility.
3Manufacturing precision
If Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is used to establish adhesive layers, then the coating precision and uniformity are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex ALD manufacturing process is extracted and consolidated into a single integrated deposition step that simultaneously applies the biodegradable adhesive layer to all stent surfaces. By using ALD to deposit the adhesive as a thin film during the stent manufacturing process itself, rather than as a separate post-processing step, the overall device complexity is reduced while maintaining the coating precision benefits of ALD.
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 solution allows for sustained patency by resisting compressive forces and automatically expanding stents to maintain vessel openness, reducing the need for re-intervention and enhancing drug delivery through controlled release mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
the structure is configured to reshape upon at least partial degradation of the adhesive
Implementation Method 2
biocompatible and biodegradable adhesive
Implementation Method 3
the adhesive is established on the surfaces of the structure by at least one layer provided as an Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) layer
Implementation Method 4
the structure is configured to bear mechanical load, such as spring load, which is released upon at least partial degradation of the adhesive
Implementation Method 5
configured to bear mechanical load, such as spring load
Data Source
AI summary
A structure is provided comprising a number of surfaces 10, 20 joined together with an adhesive 30, said structure being configured to reshape upon at least partial degradation of the adhesive 30. Related method and uses are further provided.