External Battery Powering Stent via Leads for Clot Inhibition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Implantable medical devices, such as vascular stents and pacemakers, face issues with battery drainage and clot formation due to the need for external power sources and anticoagulation agents, respectively.
Innovation Solution
An implantable power supply that converts mechanical energy from muscle expansion and contraction into electrical energy using microfluidics or piezoelectric materials to generate a negative charge on stents, inhibiting clot formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a battery is implanted with the stent to provide negative charge, then clot formation is inhibited, but device complexity and surgical procedure complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the battery from the implantable device itself and places it externally. The external battery provides electrical energy through leads connected to the stent, eliminating the need for an internal power source. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining clot inhibition effectiveness while reducing device complexity and avoiding battery implantation complications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces leads as an intermediary component between the external battery and the stent. These leads transmit electrical energy from the external power source to the stent, enabling the stent to maintain its negative charge for clot inhibition without requiring an internal battery. This mediator approach simplifies the implantable device while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a battery is implanted to power the device, then electrical energy is provided, but the battery must be replaced or recharged eventually
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is extracted from the implantable device and placed externally. This allows the battery to be replaced or recharged without surgical intervention, eliminating the limitation of finite battery lifespan within the implant. The external battery can be swapped out when depleted, providing continuous electrical energy to the stent indefinitely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the battery to be discarded and replaced externally when its energy is depleted. The leads remain in place, allowing a new battery to be connected and provide continued electrical energy to the stent. This approach eliminates the need for surgical battery replacement while maintaining the electrical charging function.
3Reliability
If anticoagulation drugs are loaded on the stent to prevent clots, then clot formation is inhibited, but the medication is released over time and eventually depleted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical mechanism (drug release) with an electrical mechanism (electrostatic negative charge). Instead of relying on pharmacologic agents that deplete over time, the stent maintains a persistent negative charge through electrical charging from an external battery. This electrical charge continuously inhibits clot formation without depletion, resolving the limitation of finite medication duration.
4Reliability
If the stent is negatively charged to inhibit clots, then clot formation is reduced, but a power source is required
Solution Approach 1:
The power source (battery) is extracted from the implantable stent and placed externally. This eliminates the need for surgical implantation of a battery while maintaining the negative charge function on the stent. The external battery connects through leads, providing power without adding complexity to the implanted device itself.
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 provides a sustainable power source for implantable devices and reduces clot formation by generating a negative charge on stents, addressing the limitations of traditional battery-powered solutions and anticoagulation methods.
Implementation Method 1
The implantable power supply converting mechanical energy of the body, such as the expansion and contraction of muscles into electrical energy using microfluidics or mechanical strain
Implementation Method 2
The implantable power supply converting mechanical energy of the body, such as the expansion and contraction of muscles into electrical energy using microfluidics or mechanical strain
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable device having a power source is provided. The power source uses reverse electrowetting technology to generate a charge to power the implantable device. The power source includes a flexible, non-conductive substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side with a channel between the first and second sides. Electrodes are arranged about the channel in a predefined pattern. A liquid is contained in the channel. The liquid includes a dielectric liquid and a conductive liquid that do not mix. The electric change is generated by moving the liquid back and forth across the electrodes. The force to pump or move the liquid is provided by organic means, such as, for example, the change in blood pressure between systolic and diastolic, the expansion and contraction of an organ, or the movement of a muscle.