Tissue Expander Lubricious Deformable Members
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tissue expanders face issues such as discomfort, tissue ischemia, adverse effects on underlying structures, and lack of control over expansion variables like pressure, volume, and onset of expansion, due to sudden and high inflation pressures, which can lead to tissue failure and infection risks.
Innovation Solution
A tissue expander system with an implantable portion comprising a fluid source in communication with an expandable chamber, a first deformable member, a second deformable member, and a lubricious material to reduce friction between them, allowing for gradual and controlled tissue expansion using a wireless communication component for external control, enabling adjustable and controlled gas transfer for prolonged expansion periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high inflation pressure is applied during clinic visits to achieve maximum tissue expansion effect, then the expansion efficiency is improved, but patient discomfort and tissue ischemia increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue expander uses periodic inflation cycles with multiple lower-pressure expansions instead of single high-pressure inflation. The device can be inflated through a port allowing repeated expansion cycles, distributing the total expansion volume across multiple periods to reduce peak pressure and associated discomfort while maintaining overall expansion effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable chamber provides continuous expansion capability through controlled fluid or gas infusion. The system maintains sustained expansion pressure over time rather than relying on intermittent high-pressure bursts, enabling gradual tissue stretching that reduces ischemic events while achieving the same total expansion volume.
2Loss of time
If high inflation pressure is used to achieve rapid tissue expansion, then the treatment duration is reduced, but adverse effects on underlying structures such as bone concavities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables multiple controlled expansion sessions with lower peak pressures. By distributing expansion across periodic cycles, the system achieves cumulative expansion效果 without subjecting underlying bone structures to damaging high-pressure loads that cause concavities.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable chamber allows dynamic adjustment of expansion pressure and volume over time. The system can adapt inflation parameters based on tissue response, maintaining pressures below the threshold that causes bone deformation while still achieving effective soft tissue expansion through prolonged controlled inflation.
3Productivity
If high pressure inflation is applied to maximize expansion effect per visit, then the number of clinic visits is reduced, but restrictive capsule formation and tissue failure risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue expander is designed for repeated low-to-moderate pressure inflation cycles rather than single high-pressure events. This periodic expansion approach stimulates gradual tissue adaptation and reduces the formation of restrictive capsules while maintaining tissue viability and reducing failure risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable chamber acts as a cushioning element that distributes expansion forces gradually across the tissue. By using controlled incremental expansion rather than abrupt high-pressure inflation, the system protects underlying tissues from mechanical damage and reduces the formation of fibrotic capsules.
4Ease of operation
If needle-based inflation is used to fill the tissue expander, then the device can be inflated, but infection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The percutaneous port is extracted or removed from the system design. Instead of requiring needle puncture through the skin, the tissue expander uses an entirely implantable design where inflation is achieved through tissue-safe methods such as percutaneous catheters that minimize infection risk or wireless energy transfer for internal fluid/gas generation.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediary inflation mechanism replaces direct needle injection. The system may use a percutaneous catheter with anti-infection features, or an internal reservoir that can be filled through a sealed port system that maintains sterility, acting as an intermediary between the external filling source and the implantable chamber.
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 provides a more comfortable and controlled tissue expansion process with reduced capsule formation, less patient discomfort, and improved adjustability, allowing for precise tissue growth and expansion without sudden pressure spikes, enhancing the effectiveness of tissue regeneration and reconstruction.
Implementation Method 1
a lubricious material to reduce friction between the first and second deformable members
Data Source
AI summary
Tissue expanders and methods of use. In some embodiments the tissue expanders are adapted to reduce wear on one or more components.