Biodegradable Protrusions on Inflatable Balloon for Local Drug Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices, such as expandable balloons and stents, effectively open blocked body passageways but lack the capability to directly treat the diseased region with biological agents.
Innovation Solution
Development of inflatable medical devices with surface structures or micro-surface structures that can be inserted into body passageways, allowing for both expansion to unblock the passageway and local delivery of biological agents, with the option for these structures to be biodegradable or biostable and coated with various materials to control agent release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an expandable balloon is used to open or increase the opening in a passageway, then the passageway is successfully opened and blood flow is improved, but the device lacks the capability to directly treat the diseased region with biological agents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the mechanical opening function of the expandable balloon with the biological treatment function by integrating surface structures that can deliver biological agents. The balloon and biological agent delivery system are merged into a single device, allowing simultaneous mechanical opening and biological treatment of the passageway.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable balloon is transformed into a multi-functional device that performs both mechanical opening of the passageway and delivery of biological agents to treat the diseased region. The surface structures on the balloon enable it to serve multiple purposes: mechanical expansion and localized biological therapy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If surface structures or micro-surface structures are added to the inflatable device to enable biological agent delivery, then the device can directly treat the diseased region, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies surface structures or micro-surface structures only to specific regions of the inflatable device where biological agent delivery is needed. This localized approach allows the device to gain biological treatment capability without uniformly increasing complexity across the entire device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface structures are integrated into the inflatable device in a nested manner, where the surface structures form part of the device's outer layer. This nesting allows the biological agent delivery function to be incorporated within the existing device framework without requiring completely separate systems.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If biodegradable materials are used for the surface structures, then the structures can be absorbed by the body after treatment, but the structural integrity during the procedure may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs biodegradable materials that dynamically change their properties over time. During the procedure, the materials maintain sufficient structural integrity, but after treatment, they gradually degrade and are absorbed by the body. This dynamic behavior allows the structure to serve its mechanical function during treatment while eliminating long-term foreign body presence.
Solution Approach 2:
The biodegradable surface structures are designed to complete their function of delivering biological agents and providing mechanical support before they degrade. The degradation process is timed to occur after the treatment is accomplished, ensuring that structural integrity is maintained when needed and foreign body presence is eliminated afterward.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical device for insertion and expansion in a body passageway. The medical device includes an inflatable device such as a balloon that is designed to be inflated and deflated while positioned in the body passageway. The inflatable device is inflatable by inserting a fluid in an internal cavity of the inflatable device. The inflatable device includes an outer surface that has a surface structure or micro-surface structure which is designed to at least partially penetrate into an inner wall of the body passageway when the inflatable device is inflated.