Biodegradable Constraint Anchors for GI Tract Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current obesity treatments, such as gastric bypass surgery and endoscopically delivered gastrointestinal implants, face challenges with long-term anchoring stability and safety, as sharp barbs can disengage from the duodenal wall due to tissue thickening, leading to potential complications like migration or damage to adjacent organs.
Innovation Solution
The development of a collapsible anchor with biodegradable constraints that maintain protrusions in a constrained state until they degrade, allowing the protrusions to expand and securely anchor within the gastrointestinal tract, utilizing designs like open loops and helical protrusions to promote tissue encapsulation and stability without piercing nearby organs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sharp barbs are used to anchor the implant in the gastrointestinal tract, then initial anchoring is achieved, but the barbs can disengage from the duodenal wall due to tissue thickening over time
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions are designed to be dynamic in length, transitioning from an initial constrained state (shorter length for safe insertion) to an extended state (longer length for enhanced anchoring) over time. This dynamic adaptation allows the anchor to maintain reliable attachment as tissue thickens, resolving the contradiction between initial anchoring and long-term stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusion length parameter changes over time through controlled degradation of the biodegradable constraint. As the constraint degrades, the protrusion extends from 2-4 mm to a longer length, adapting to tissue thickening and maintaining anchoring reliability throughout the implant's service life.
2Reliability
If protrusions are allowed to extend further from the anchor to improve anchoring, then anchoring stability increases, but the risk of piercing adjacent organs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biodegradable constraint is applied beforehand to limit protrusion extension during the critical insertion phase. This preliminary constraint ensures the protrusion remains at a safe length (2-4 mm) during deployment, preventing organ piercing, while allowing extension later when anchoring stability becomes the priority.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusion length is made dynamic rather than fixed, allowing it to adapt its length based on the operational phase: short during insertion (safe) and long during long-term anchoring (stable). This temporal differentiation resolves the safety-stability contradiction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If biodegradable constraints are used to maintain protrusions in a constrained state, then safety during insertion is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The biodegradable constraint is designed as a temporary, disposable element that performs its safety function during insertion and then degrades naturally in the body. This eliminates the need for permanent complex restraint mechanisms, as the constraint's short functional life matches the critical insertion phase only.
Solution Approach 2:
The biodegradable constraint acts as a temporary intermediary between the protrusion and the environment, providing controlled limitation during insertion. Its transient nature simplifies the overall device, as it automatically disappears after serving its protective purpose,无需复杂的释放机制.
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
This solution enhances the duration and stability of implant anchoring in the gastrointestinal tract, reducing the risk of complications by allowing the protrusions to penetrate and secure within the tissue over time, providing a more stable and long-lasting anchoring mechanism compared to traditional sharp barbs.
Implementation Method 1
a biodegradable constraint, such as a biodegradable tube or suture, configured to maintain the protrusion in the constrained state until the constraint releases
Data Source
AI summary
An implant includes a collapsible anchor to be deployed within a lumen and a protrusion coupled to the anchor. The protrusion, in a constrained state, extends a distance from an exterior surface of the anchor and, in an unconstrained state, extends further from the exterior surface of the anchor. Also included is a biodegradable constraint, such as a biodegradable tube or suture, configured to maintain the protrusion in the constrained state until the constraint releases. The implant may include additional biodegradable constraints, each constraint configured to maintain the protrusion in a different constrained state and to degrade over a different predetermined period after the implant has been deployed within the lumen. The protrusion may include a bi-directional barb or an open loop. The protrusion may be configured to penetrate a wall of the lumen and to allow tissue to grow about the protrusion. The implant may also include an unsupported, thin-walled sleeve coupled to the anchor and configured to extend into the lumen upon deployment of the collapsible anchor.