Phase-change materials for thermal regulation in implanted medical devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical technologies face challenges in effectively preventing restenosis of blood vessels and efficiently targeting and killing cancer cells, particularly in managing heat distribution around implanted devices and selectively treating cancer cells without harming healthy tissues.
Innovation Solution
The use of phase-change materials that absorb and release latent heat to regulate temperature around implanted elements, such as stents, and coupling phase-change molecules with glucose to preferentially target cancer cells, allowing for selective heating and killing of cancer cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heating is applied to prevent restenosis of blood vessels, then restenosis prevention is improved, but tissue overheating and damage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase-change materials that undergo phase transition (e.g., from solid to liquid) at specific temperatures to absorb excess heat. When tissue temperature approaches the phase-change temperature, the material transitions phase and absorbs latent heat, preventing tissue overheating while maintaining the therapeutic heating effect for restenosis prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase-change material acts as an intermediary between the heating source and the tissue. It mediates the thermal energy transfer by absorbing excess heat through phase transition, thereby protecting the tissue from direct exposure to harmful high temperatures while allowing controlled therapeutic heating.
2Productivity
If heating is applied to kill cancer cells, then cancer cell destruction is improved, but healthy tissue damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs phase-change materials with specific phase-change temperatures tailored to target cancer cells locally. By selecting materials whose phase-change temperature matches the therapeutic temperature range for cancer cell destruction, the heating effect is concentrated at the tumor site while surrounding healthy tissue remains protected due to the temperature-buffering effect of the phase-change material.
Solution Approach 2:
Phase-change materials are positioned at or near the tumor site to undergo phase transition at the therapeutic temperature. This phase transition absorbs excess thermal energy, creating a thermal buffer that confines the heating effect to the tumor region and prevents thermal damage to adjacent healthy tissues.
3Temperature
If phase-change materials are used to regulate temperature, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The phase-change materials provide self-regulating temperature control without requiring external control systems. When the temperature reaches the phase-change point, the material automatically undergoes phase transition and absorbs heat, creating a passive thermal buffer that maintains temperature within a safe range without active intervention or complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the inherent thermal properties of phase-change materials, specifically the latent heat of fusion and phase-change temperature, to achieve temperature regulation. By selecting materials with appropriate phase-change temperatures, the system automatically adjusts thermal energy absorption based on temperature conditions, providing adaptive temperature control without complex electronics or control algorithms.
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 approach effectively prevents overheating of tissues around implanted devices and selectively kills cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells by utilizing phase-change materials to manage heat distribution and exploiting the Warburg effect for targeted cancer treatment.
Implementation Method 1
the material accumulates a certain amount of heat, which is called the latent heat of fusion, or the enthalpy change of fusion
Implementation Method 2
When a solid material is heated until its melting point, the material undergoes a phase-change to its liquid state
Implementation Method 3
When the process is reversed, i.e., when the material undergoes a phase-change from liquid to solid, the accumulated latent heat is released
Implementation Method 4
A shape-memory alloy is an alloy, such as nitinol or copper-aluminum-nickel, that has a first shape when it is below a given temperature (the 'transformation temperature'), and that changes to assume a second shape when it is heated to the transformation temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided, including, delivering into a heart of a patient an annuloplasty ring structure including a body portion and an adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a size of the body portion of the annuloplasty ring structure, the adjusting mechanism including a housing, and following the delivering, moving the housing with respect to the body portion. Other applications are also described.