Implantable Prosthesis Buckling Prevention via 3D Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing implantable prostheses for hernia repair face challenges in maintaining proper positioning and preventing buckling, which can expose mesh material to viscera, and often use non-absorbable materials that may cause tissue damage if fractured.
Innovation Solution
A composite prosthesis design featuring a first structure with extension portions and a reinforcement element, where the structures are secured only around their peripheries, allowing for uniform force distribution and preventing buckling, and using a three-dimensional reinforcing element to maintain flat orientation and control strain direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If straps are secured to the central portion of the patch to pull and position it, then the patch can be positioned against the parietal wall, but the patch may collapse centrally and buckle outwardly, exposing unprotected mesh material to viscera
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement element is configured with a three-dimensional, cup-shaped geometry rather than a flat two-dimensional structure. This third dimension provides structural support that prevents central collapse and maintains the patch in a uniform plane against the viscera when pulling forces are applied during placement
Solution Approach 2:
The device combines the flexible patch material with a rigid or semi-rigid reinforcement element to create a composite structure. This composite design provides the necessary strength to prevent buckling while maintaining the flexibility needed for proper positioning and conformability to the abdominal wall
2Reliability
If a non-absorbable resilient peripheral ring is used to prevent buckling, then the patch can maintain its flat configuration, but the ring permanently leaves substantial material in the patient that may cause tissue damage if fractured
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement element is made from an absorbable material that changes its properties over time. Initially, it provides rigid structural support to prevent buckling, but gradually degrades and is absorbed by the body, eliminating the long-term risk of fractured non-absorbable material while maintaining the necessary mechanical support during the critical healing period
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement element is designed as a temporary structural support that serves its purpose during the critical placement and initial healing phase, then degrades and is absorbed by the body. This eliminates the need for permanent non-absorbable materials that pose long-term risks
3Ease of operation
If the patch is pulled through the incision and defect using a blind technique, then the patch can be inserted through the central access incision, but proper positioning and flat orientation against the peritoneum becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The three-dimensional cup-shaped reinforcement element provides inherent structural memory that guides the patch into its final flat configuration against the viscera. As the element resists compression and maintains its shape, it automatically orients the patch correctly without requiring precise manual positioning through the blind technique
Data Source
AI summary
An implantable prosthesis for repairing or reinforcing a tissue or muscle wall defect including a first composite structure including at least one layer of a non-absorbable material, wherein the first composite structure has a central portion sized and shaped to cover at least a portion of the tissue or muscle wall defect, and has an outer periphery. The prosthesis further includes a second structure having a reinforced central region and an outer peripheral edge, a reinforcing element positioned between the first and second structures, and having an outer periphery and a stiffness greater than that of the first and second structures, and at least one pulling element coupled to the reinforced central region of the second structure. The second structure is coupled to the first structure substantially only at their respective peripheries.