Filament Pulse Control for Skin Micropore Ablation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for thermal tissue ablation, such as using metallic filaments to deliver energy for skin ablation, face challenges in efficiently creating micropores in the skin to enhance the flux rate of active pharmaceutical ingredients while minimizing pain and filament failure.
Innovation Solution
A thermal ablation system with a control unit that regulates electrical pulses to the metallic filaments, controlling parameters like current density, pulse width, and temperature to create micropores effectively, while preventing filament failure and minimizing pain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electrical energy is increased through metallic filaments to create deeper micropores, then flux rate of active pharmaceutical ingredients is improved, but pain and filament failure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies electrical energy to the metallic filaments in periodic pulses rather than continuous delivery. The control unit regulates the timing and duration of pulses to allow heat dissipation between pulses, preventing excessive temperature buildup that causes filament failure and patient pain, while still achieving adequate micropore creation for drug delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts electrical parameters (current density, pulse width, frequency) based on real-time feedback from temperature sensors. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize energy delivery for micropore creation while preventing conditions that lead to filament failure and minimizing pain through adaptive parameter modification
2Speed
If electrical energy is delivered quickly to ablate stratum corneum, then micropore creation is improved, but risk of filament failure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit delivers electrical energy in controlled periodic pulses with specific duty cycles. This allows rapid heating during pulse on-times for effective stratum corneum ablation, followed by off-times that allow partial cooling and prevent cumulative thermal damage to the filament, thereby maintaining filament reliability
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature sensors provide real-time feedback on filament temperature to the control unit. The control unit uses this feedback to adjust pulse parameters dynamically, ensuring rapid enough heating for effective ablation while preventing temperature from reaching levels that would cause filament failure, thus balancing speed and reliability
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 system achieves efficient micropore creation for enhanced delivery of active pharmaceuticals through the skin, reducing pain and extending filament lifespan by precise control of energy delivery.
Implementation Method 1
the skin may be ablated using metallic filaments brought to a high temperature by providing electrical energy through the metallic filaments
Implementation Method 2
transferring generated thermal energy (heat) into the skin through the surface of the skin
Implementation Method 3
Fast introduction of the thermal energy into the skin causes a rapid increase in a temperature of one or more outer layers of the skin and results in ablation of at least a portion of the skin
Implementation Method 4
controlling parameters like current density, pulse width, and temperature to create micropores effectively
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for controlling energy delivered for thermal ablation. An apparatus may include a conductive member comprising an array of conductive filaments, a power supply configured to provide the current to the conductive/resistive member in a plurality of electrical pulses, and a processing circuit coupled to the power supply. The processing circuit is configured to control the supply current value to be greater than or equal to a first current density and less than or equal to a second current density, and control the pulse length to be greater than or equal to a first pulse length and less than a second pulse length, control the supply current value to have a third current density at a first time and a fourth current density at a second time.