Resorbable Implant for Tissue Stimulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tissue stimulation methods often require permanent implants that increase treatment costs and health risks, and are not effective for surgically inaccessible tissue locations, with insufficient tissue growth leading to incomplete recovery and motor/sensor dysfunction.
Innovation Solution
A resorbable implant system comprising a substrate, contacts, and a transceiver, powered by an external controller, which delivers electrical stimulation to tissue and is completely absorbed by the body, eliminating the need for removal and reducing long-term management and health risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a permanent implant is used for tissue stimulation, then the device can deliver electrical pulses throughout the treatment period, but the implant requires long-term management and increases treatment cost and health risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the disposable principle by designing a resorbable implant that temporarily performs its function during the treatment period and then degrades and is absorbed by the body. The implant includes biodegradable components such as a polymeric substrate, biodegradable metal contacts, and biodegradable electronic components that deliver electrical stimulation and then naturally decompose, eliminating the need for removal surgery and reducing long-term health risks associated with permanent implants.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements discarding and recovering by designing the implant to be discarded through natural biological processes. The biodegradable materials break down into harmless byproducts that are metabolized and eliminated by the body's natural functions, recovering resources and eliminating the need for surgical retrieval while maintaining effective treatment delivery throughout the required period.
2Duration of action of moving object
If a permanent implant is used for tissue stimulation, then the device can deliver electrical pulses throughout the treatment period, but the implant requires additional surgical procedure for removal which exposes the patient to risks such as infection
Solution Approach 1:
The resorbable implant is designed as a temporary device that completes its function and then naturally disappears through biodegradation. This eliminates the need for complex removal surgery, reducing surgical complexity from two procedures (implantation and removal) to one (implantation only), while avoiding infection risks associated with additional surgical interventions.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant performs self-service by automatically degrading and being absorbed by the body after completing its treatment function. The biodegradable materials self-destruct through natural physiological processes without requiring external intervention or surgical removal, simplifying the overall treatment process and reducing surgical complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional surgical procedures are used to treat tissue injuries, then surgical intervention can be performed to correct issues, but the procedures are not effective for surgically inaccessible tissue locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing the electrical stimulation parameter to treat tissue injuries in a non-surgical manner. The resorbable implant delivers controlled electrical pulses to stimulate tissue growth and repair, enabling treatment of surgically inaccessible locations through a different physical modality (electrical stimulation) rather than mechanical surgical intervention, thereby maintaining treatment effectiveness while improving accessibility.
4Reliability
If insufficient tissue growth occurs after surgical procedures, then the procedures may be unsuccessful in treating tissue injuries, but increasing tissue growth may require more aggressive interventions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical surgical interventions with an electrical stimulation system to promote tissue growth. Instead of using more aggressive mechanical or chemical interventions to stimulate growth, the resorbable implant delivers controlled electrical pulses that biologically stimulate tissue regeneration, achieving reliable tissue growth promotion through a less invasive electrical mechanism rather than complex mechanical or chemical interventions.
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 resorbable implant system effectively stimulates tissue growth and modifies tissue function without the need for surgical removal, reducing treatment costs and health risks, and can target previously inaccessible areas, demonstrating comparable efficacy to permanent implants in promoting bone and nerve recovery.
Implementation Method 1
the transceiver is resorbable and configured to receive signals from the controller
Implementation Method 2
the substrate, the at least one contact, and the transceiver are resorbable
Data Source
AI summary
A system for stimulating tissue generally comprises a resorbable implant. The resorbable implant includes a substrate, at least one contact, and a transceiver, wherein the substrate, the at least one contact, and the transceiver are resorbable. The system also includes a controller configured to communicate with the transceiver of the resorbable implant and a power supply connected to the controller. The controller delivers power to the resorbable implant from the power supply. The resorbable implant delivers electrical stimulation to tissue when the resorbable implant receives power.