Self-Sealing Wound Closure Implants

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wound closure devices, such as staples and sutures, often result in fluid leaks during surgeries due to inadequate reinforcement, necessitating additional materials like buttresses to prevent leaks, but there is a need for compositions that complement these reinforcements to reduce leak potential.

Innovation Solution

Self-sealing implants comprising a wound closure device with a first reactive component and a reinforcing material with a second complementary reactive component, which react upon contact to form a hydrogel, sealing any void spaces and reinforcing the tissue.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If additional reinforcing materials like buttresses are used to prevent fluid leaks, then sealing capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing capabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the wound closure device and reinforcing material into a single integrated implant system. The reactive components are incorporated into both the wound closure device and reinforcing material, allowing them to work together as a unified system that provides both closure and reinforcement functions simultaneously, thereby reducing the need for separate additional components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses composite materials by incorporating reactive components (such as electrophilic functional groups on the wound closure device and nucleophilic functional groups on the reinforcing material) that chemically interact to form a hydrogel. This composite approach enhances sealing capability through the chemical reaction product while maintaining the structural integrity of both components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If reactive components are added to enable self-sealing, then sealing capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveself-sealing capabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The reactive components are pre-incorporated into the wound closure device and reinforcing material during manufacturing. The electrophilic functional groups are attached to the wound closure device and the nucleophilic functional groups are attached to the reinforcing material before implantation, so that the chemical reaction capability is already built-in, requiring no additional manufacturing steps at the time of use.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes chemical parameter changes by selecting functional groups that undergo a chemical reaction when brought into contact. The electrophilic and nucleophilic functional groups react to form covalent bonds and generate a hydrogel, transforming the physical state and chemical properties of the materials to achieve self-sealing without complex manufacturing processes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If hydrogel formation is used to seal void spaces, then sealing capability is improved, but loss of substance increases due to material consumption in reaction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing capabilityVSAvoidmaterial consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The implant system is self-service in that the reactive components on the wound closure device and reinforcing material automatically react when brought into contact during implantation. The hydrogel formation occurs in situ without requiring additional materials or substances to be introduced, utilizing only the pre-incorporated reactive components to achieve sealing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the essential sealing function from complex multi-component systems and concentrates it into the interaction between two specific reactive components. By focusing on the chemical reaction between electrophilic and nucleophilic functional groups, the system achieves sealing through a simplified material interaction that minimizes material consumption while maximizing sealing effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 self-sealing implants effectively reduce fluid leaks by forming a hydrogel upon interaction, providing enhanced reinforcement and sealing capabilities, while being biocompatible and degradable, with the ability to tailor the degradation and swelling properties for specific applications.

Implementation Method 1

The first reactive component and the second reactive component may be selected from the group consisting of electrophilic functional groups and nucleophilic functional groups

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectChemical reaction: Chemical Bonding