Elastomeric Intravesical Drug Delivery Device for Minimally Invasive Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional intravesical drug delivery devices for conditions like interstitial cystitis and overactive bladder syndrome are cumbersome, painful, and require frequent surgical procedures, leading to discomfort and increased risk of infections due to their large size and need for repeated cystoscopic interventions.
Innovation Solution
A compact, elastomeric intravesical drug delivery device with a hollow tube and reservoir system that can be elastically deformed for insertion through a catheter, featuring apertures for controlled drug release and a degradable membrane to manage release timing, allowing for extended drug delivery without the need for frequent surgical refills.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If conventional intravesical drug delivery devices are used, then drug delivery function is provided, but device size is large requiring frequent surgical procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The device is nested within a catheter for delivery, with the hollow tube containing the reservoir system inside the catheter lumen. This allows the complete drug delivery system to be delivered through a standard catheter pathway without requiring separate surgical implantation procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The device is segmented into distinct functional components: a hollow tube structure, internal reservoirs for drug formulation, apertures for controlled release, and a degradable membrane. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall compactness.
2Reliability
If frequent cystoscopic procedures are performed for drug delivery, then drug therapy is maintained, but patient discomfort and infection risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drug formulation is pre-loaded into the reservoir system before implantation. The device is implanted once and then autonomously delivers the pre-measured drug supply over time, eliminating the need for repeated surgical refilling procedures and reducing infection risk from multiple catheter insertions.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs self-contained drug delivery using its internal reservoir system and controlled release mechanisms. The degradable membrane automatically regulates drug release without external intervention, and the device manages its own drug supply until depletion.
3Ease of operation
If elastomeric material is used for device flexibility, then device can be inserted through catheter, but device shape control becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The device utilizes an elastomeric hollow tube that functions as a flexible shell, allowing the device to conform and pass through the catheter during insertion. The elastomeric material provides the necessary flexibility for minimally invasive delivery while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a compressed state during catheter delivery to an expanded functional state after implantation. The elastomeric material enables this dynamic shape change, allowing easy passage through the narrow catheter lumen followed by expansion to the operational configuration for drug delivery.
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 provides controlled, site-specific drug delivery over an extended period, reducing patient discomfort and the number of surgical procedures, thereby improving quality of life and minimizing side effects associated with systemic drug administration.
Implementation Method 1
a degradable membrane to control release timing
Implementation Method 2
The hollow tube may be formed of an elastomeric material so that the tube can be elastically deformed to permit intravesical insertion of the drug delivery device
Data Source
AI summary
Implant devices for intravesical administration and local drug delivery. The device has a body which includes a hollow tube formed of a biocompatible material; at least one reservoir in the tube which contains a drug; and one or more apertures through which the drug can be released. The device is configured for minimally invasive insertion into a body cavity, such as the bladder. The hollow tube may be elastomeric to permit the device to be elastically deformed from its initial shape into an elongated shape for passage through a catheter, where following such passage the device can return to or toward its initial shape to facilitate retention of the device in the body cavity. The body may have a narrow, elongated shape effective to permit insertion of the drug delivery device through a catheter without necessarily deforming the body, yet include flexible projections which effect retention within the body cavity.