Biodegradable Nasal Stent for Resorbable Ostium Patency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ostial stents often cause adverse reactions due to their permanent nature and require surgical removal, which can damage surrounding tissue, and there is a need for a low-cost, efficient, and self-securing stent that resorbs in the body to maintain fluid flow in sinus cavities.
Innovation Solution
A polymeric nasal ostial stent with a cylindrical lumen, constructed from an aqueous-swellable and biodegradable polymer that retains structural integrity for up to thirty days, capable of swelling significantly to secure placement and composed of multiple biodegradable layers to control liquid transport and degradation, minimizing tissue damage upon removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If a permanent stent is used to maintain ostial patency, then long-term fluid flow is improved, but adverse reactions and tissue damage occur due to foreign body presence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a biodegradable polymer stent designed to temporary maintain ostial patency and then naturally degrade and resorb. The stent is composed of polymers such as poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) that provide sufficient structural support during the healing period (typically 30-90 days) and then progressively degrade without requiring surgical removal, thereby eliminating long-term foreign body reactions while maintaining adequate duration of action for tissue healing
Solution Approach 2:
The stent utilizes controlled degradation parameters of biodegradable polymers to transition from a structurally stable state during implantation to a progressively degrading state over time. The polymer composition and molecular weight are selected to provide appropriate mechanical strength initially, then gradually degrade through hydrolysis and enzymatic breakdown, allowing the stent to maintain patency during the critical healing phase and then safely resorb without causing adverse reactions
2Duration of action of stationary object
If a permanent stent is used to maintain ostial patency, then long-term fluid flow is improved, but surgical removal is required which damages surrounding tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is designed as a disposable, biodegradable device that eliminates the need for surgical removal. The polymer material is selected to provide adequate structural support during the healing period and then naturally degrade and resorb, avoiding the tissue damage associated with surgical extraction of permanent stents
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful presence of a permanent foreign body into a beneficial temporary implant that naturally degrades. The biodegradable polymer is designed to provide the necessary structural support during healing and then progressively break down through controlled degradation mechanisms, transforming the stent from a permanent foreign body into a temporary therapeutic device that eliminates the need for removal surgery
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a biodegradable polymer is used for the stent, then adverse reactions are reduced, but structural integrity must be maintained for limited time
Solution Approach 1:
The stent utilizes controlled degradation parameters of biodegradable polymers to transition from a structurally stable state during implantation to a progressively degrading state over time. The polymer composition and molecular weight are selected to provide appropriate mechanical strength initially, then gradually degrade through hydrolysis and enzymatic breakdown, allowing the stent to maintain patency during the critical healing phase and then safely resorb without causing adverse reactions
Solution Approach 2:
The stent may incorporate composite polymer structures combining different biodegradable materials with complementary properties. For example, combining polymers with different degradation rates, mechanical strengths, or hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity ratios to achieve both adequate structural integrity during the healing period and controlled degradation thereafter, while maintaining biocompatibility and minimizing adverse reactions
4Reliability
If the stent swells significantly to secure placement, then retention is improved, but the stent dimensions change
Solution Approach 1:
The stent utilizes controlled degradation parameters of biodegradable polymers to transition from a structurally stable state during implantation to a progressively degrading state over time. The polymer composition and molecular weight are selected to provide appropriate mechanical strength initially, then gradually degrade through hydrolysis and enzymatic breakdown, allowing the stent to maintain patency during the critical healing phase and then safely resorb without causing adverse reactions
Solution Approach 2:
The stent employs aqueous-swellable polymer materials that undergo phase transition from a compressed or collapsed state during insertion to an expanded state upon contact with body fluids. This swelling phase transition provides secure retention of the stent within the ostium while the biodegradable nature allows the dimensional changes to be temporary and controlled, with the stent gradually returning to or maintaining its functional shape throughout the degradation period
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 stent effectively maintains ostial patency, reduces the risk of adverse reactions, and ensures secure retention without causing long-term foreign body presence, allowing for natural degradation and minimizing tissue damage during removal.
Implementation Method 1
The polymeric tube includes a first aqueous-swellable, biocompatible and biodegradable polymer
Implementation Method 2
capable of swelling significantly to secure placement
Implementation Method 3
The polymeric tube includes a first aqueous-swellable, biocompatible and biodegradable polymer
Data Source
AI summary
A polymeric stent having a length, an outer surface and a cross-section. A lumen passes through the entire length, the lumen having a surface forming an equivalent diameter in the polymeric stent. The polymeric stent includes a first aqueous-swellable, biocompatible and biodegradable composition (e.g., polymer) having a thickness. The aqueous-swellable and biodegradable polymer retaining structural integrity for at least 1 hours up to thirty days when swollen to between 15% and 500% of its dry diameter and kept moist by a moist aqueous environment. Barrier layers of biodegradable polymer(s) may be used to prevent migration of liquids into the lumen.