Biodegradable Tubular Support for Gastrointestinal Radiation Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radiation therapy for gastrointestinal tract cancers can weaken tissue integrity, leading to potential leakage, perforation, and adverse effects such as contamination and infection, particularly at anastomotic sites, necessitating a protective device for minimally invasive insertion.
Innovation Solution
A biodegradable tubular structure with an adhesive sealant is inserted minimally invasively to protect and support tissue during and after radiation therapy, providing structural integrity and shielding from harmful radiation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radiation therapy is applied to treat gastrointestinal tract cancers, then cancer cells are destroyed, but tissue integrity is weakened leading to leakage and perforation
Solution Approach 1:
A biodegradable stent is introduced as an intermediary protective structure that physically shields the weakened gastrointestinal tissue from radiation damage. The stent acts as a mediator between the harmful radiation and the vulnerable tissue, distributing and absorbing radiation exposure while maintaining tissue integrity during the treatment period.
Solution Approach 2:
The biodegradable stent is implanted before radiation therapy begins, providing preemptive protection to the tissue. This prior cushioning creates a protective barrier that absorbs the intended radiation damage, preventing direct exposure of the weakened tissue and preventing leakage and perforation during treatment.
2Strength
If a protective device is inserted to shield tissue from radiation, then tissue integrity is maintained, but the device adds complexity to the treatment procedure
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device is designed as a thin-walled biodegradable stent with a simple cylindrical structure. This flexible shell provides adequate radiation shielding and mechanical support without requiring complex multi-component systems, thereby maintaining tissue integrity while minimizing procedural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent is designed as a temporary, biodegradable device that serves its protective function only during the radiation treatment period. After completing its protective duty, it naturally degrades and is eliminated by the body, eliminating the need for removal procedures and reducing overall treatment complexity.
3Strength
If a permanent protective device is used to prevent leakage, then tissue support is maintained long-term, but the device requires removal procedures and risks complications
Solution Approach 1:
The stent material's key parameter is its biodegradability - it is designed to maintain structural integrity during the treatment period, then gradually degrade over time. This parameter change from stable to degradable allows the device to provide long-term support when needed, then automatically eliminate itself without requiring surgical removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The biodegradable stent performs self-removal through natural biological degradation processes. After fulfilling its protective function, the device is broken down and absorbed by the body's natural metabolic processes, eliminating the need for separate removal procedures and associated complications.
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 device maintains tissue integrity, prevents leakage and perforation, and reduces complications by shielding tissue from radiation damage, degrading naturally as healthy tissue regrows.
Implementation Method 1
An adhesive can be utilized to attach the tubular structure to the body lumen and the adhesive can also provide a sealant
Data Source
AI summary
The device can be used in a method to protect tissue in the gastrointestinal tract of a patient during radiation therapy, the method comprising positioning a biodegradable device to cover a perforation at a perforation site on a tissue of a patient prior to applying radiation therapy, closing the perforation through surgery, and securing the biodegradable device to cover the perforation site, so that the biodegradable device protects the tissue adjacent to the perforation site during radiation therapy. Wherein the biodegradable device is a biodegradable tubular straw or surgical patch. The surgical patch is a medical device made of tissue engineered materials designed to cover, repair, or augment damaged or weakened tissue or organs during surgery.