MEDICAL IMPLANT, ASSEMBLY FOR IMPLANTING THE MEDICAL IMPLANT AND ASSEMBLY FOR DETECTING AN INTRACORPOREAL MOVEMENT PATTERN WITH THE MEDICAL IMPLANT

Abstract

Described is a medical implant with a structure which is made of at least one biocompatible material, can be converted from a first spatially compact state into a second spatially deployed and flexible deformable state, has an modulus of elasticity that corresponds to the wall of a blood vessel in an order of magnitude between 105 N m.sup.−2 and 107 N m.sup.−2, has at least one region with an acoustic impedance of more than 1.63.Math.106 kg/m.sup.2s, and in the second state has an effective operating surface that is flexibly deformable and at least partially reflects ultrasonic waves. In addition, an assembly is described for detecting an intracorporeal movement pattern using the medical implant that has a sonography device, which is positioned extracorporeally such that ultrasonic waves which are generated by the sonographic device and which strike the effective operating surface of the intracorporeally applied medical implant and are partially reflected thereon can be used to detect changes in the spatial distance between the effective operating surface and the sonography device.

Claims

1. A medical implant with a structure made of at least one biocompatible material, which can be converted from a first spatially compact state into a second spatially deployed and flexibly deformable state, has an modulus of elasticity that corresponds to a vascular wall of a blood vessel in an order of magnitude between 105 N m−2 and 107 N m−2, has at least one region with an acoustic impedance of more than 1.63.Math.106 kg/m.sup.2s, and in the second state has an effective operating surface, which is flexibly deformable and can at least partially reflect ultrasonic waves.

2. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure has at least one means which can be brought into interaction with an extracorporeal magnetic, electrical, caloric and/or acoustic force field in such a way that a force moment can be generated that changes the spatial shape and/or spatial position of the structure, and

3. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure is configured in the form of a film, a mesh, a sponge or a tangled structure, and in a first state allows a cannula size of between 10 G und 30 G, preferably 17 G und 25 G.

4. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure in the second state has an effective operating surface of at least 0.2 mm2.

5. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure in the second state has an effective operating surface of a maximum of 500 mm2.

6. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that through folding, compressing and/or rolling, the structure can be converted from the second state into the first state.

7. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure has an area of material that reflects radar waves.

8. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure has at least on structural area with an RFID, interdigital electrode and/or electrical coil structure.

9. The medical implant according to claim 2, characterised in that the means that interacts with the external force field is made of at least one material from the following group of materials: magnetic or magnetisable material; electrically conductive material; bi-metallic material; thermal, electrical or magnetic transducer material, materials with shape memory.

10. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the effective operating surface is designed in the form of a one-piece continuous surface.

11. The medical implant according to claim 3, characterised in that the structure configured in the form of a mesh, a sponge or tangled structure, in projection along a spatial direction, forms the at least partially reflecting effective operating surface for ultrasonic waves propagating along the spatial direction.

12. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the effective operating surface is formed or can be formed in an undulating or zig-zag manner.

13. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one anchoring element in the form of a barb-like section is applied to the structure.

14. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one of the following substances is applied on or integrated into the structure: pharmaceutical active substance, adhesive, hygroscopic material.

15. The medical implant according to claim 1, characterised in that the structure comprises metamaterials or hybrid material combinations of metamaterial and biological tissue material and/or biocompatible polymer.

16. The medical implant according to claim 3, characterised in that the structure is formed of nanostructures or at least with superficially applied nanostructures.

17. The medical implant according to claim 16, characterised in that the nanostructures are in the form of nanotubes or nanograss.

18. An assembly for implanting the medical implant according to claim 1, comprising the components: hollow cannula, which is adapted and designed to be suitable for the subcutaneous implantation of the medical implant which in the first state is accommodated within the hollow cannula and can be distally applied from the hollow cannula in an intracorporeal subcutaneous manner, means for the distal release of the medical implant from the hollow cannula and intracorporeal application.

19. The assembly for implantation according to claim 2, characterised in that a generator is provided for producing the magnetic, electrical, caloric and/or acoustic force field which interacts with the at least one means of the structure.

20. The assembly according to claim 19, characterised in that the generator is designed and arranged in such a way that the force field is variable with regard to the field strength and/or spatial force field arrangement.

21. An assembly for detecting an intracorporeal movement pattern with the medical implant according to claim 1 as well as a sonography device, which is positioned extracorporeally such that ultrasonic waves which are generated by the sonographic device strike the effective operating surface of the intracorporeally applied medical implant and are partially reflected thereon can be used to detect changes in the spatial distance between the effective operating surface and the sonography device.

22. The assembly according to claim 20, characterised in that a transmitting and receiving unit for electromagnetic fields is arranged extracorporeally, the electromagnetic field of which interacts with the RFID, interdigital electrode and/or electrical coil structure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] As an example, the invention will be described below, without restricting the general inventive concept, by way of examples of embodiment with reference to the drawings. Here:

[0031] FIGS. 1a, b, c show a structure made of biocompatible material for a medical implant,

[0032] FIG. 2 shows an assembly for implanting the medical implant,

[0033] FIGS. 3a, b show variants of embodiments for unfolding the medical implant,

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a medical implant with integrated fluid channels and

[0035] FIG. 5 shows an assembly for detecting an intracorporeal movement pattern

WAYS OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION, INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0036] FIG. 1a shows a medical implant 1 in a spatially compressed spatial form which is suitable for applying the medical implant 1 by way of a hollow cannula 2, see FIG. 2, for the purpose of intracorporeal positioning. FIG. 2 shows a pointed device for introducing the medical implant 1 by way of a cannula 2 into a human or animal body (not shown). The introduction of the medical implant 1 can take place using a carrier fluid, for example, saline, or in dry form. As part of the implantation procedure, the hollow cannula 2 should be orientated close to a large, arterial blood vessel, as parallel as possible to this vessel, for the purpose of injecting the implant 1 according to the solution.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1a, the compressed medical implant 1 comprises a support rod 3, preferably in the form of a polysaccharide rod, along which a planar, film-like structure 4 can be applied which can be configured in one part or in several parts. By retracting the cannula 2 and pushing out the medical implant 1, the planar, film-like structure 4 unfolds radially in a fan-like manner from the support rod 3 in accordance with FIG. 1b.

[0038] The planar, film-like structure 4 of the medical implant 1 preferably comprises a flexible polymer film, on the surface of which a coating 5 of ultrasound-reflecting material is applied. The ultrasound-reflecting material can also have additional electromagnetic wave-reflecting properties. Preferably nanostructure material in the form of nanotubes or nanograss, for example in the form of carbon nanotubes or titanium oxide nanograss, is suitable for this, see also FIG. 1c.

[0039] For improved unfolding of the planar medical implant 1 from the compressed stated into the unfolded state, a form of embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3a, b envisages a film-like structure 4 of the medical implant 1 which is interspersed with at least one fluid channel 6, preferably oil channel. The preferably oil-filled channel 6 generates a mechanical pre-tensioning, which is held in the compressed form of the medical implant 1 with additional threads 7, which connect the planar, film-like structures 4 of the medical implant 1 with the support rod 3, see FIG. 3a. As soon as the medical implant 1 is located within the body, the holding threads 7 are resorbed, so that the fluid channels 6 are able to unfold the planar substrate of the medical implant 1, see FIG. 3b.

[0040] The planar substrate 4 of the medical implant 1 can comprise individual surface areas 4′, which are all, or in pairs, connected with a fluid channel 6. In this way it is possible for the individual surface areas 4′ to expand in a skewed manner independently of each other which benefits the orientation of the surface areas in the form of reflector surfaces and ultimately the reflected signal. Through a preferred filling of the channels 6, preferably with oil, disruptive influences on the ultrasonic wave reflection behaviour of the medical implant 1 can be avoided, particularly as oil is acoustically transparent for ultrasound.

[0041] In addition, it can be assumed that through the intracorporeally moist environment, on the basis of an osmotic pressure effect on the medical implant 1, water can penetrate into and through the polymer-based surface substrate 4 of the medical implant 1, so that water enters into the channels 6 thereby increasing the tensioning force of the surface structure of the medical implant 1.

[0042] It is also desirable that the individual surface areas 4′ of the medical implant 1 vary their spatial orientation and/or shape as a function of the intracorporeally occurring pulse waves 11. The spatial variation can be supported and brought about in that the individual surfaces areas 4′ of the medical implant 1 are arranged movably with regard to each other. This is ensured through constrictions 8 between surface areas 4′ connected at least in pairs, along which at least one fluid channel 6 runs in each case, see FIG. 4. The constrictions 8 act in the form of a “natural joint” 9, which can predetermine the mechanical movability of the individual surface areas 4′ relative to each other. In the case of the state shown in FIG. 4, the support rod 3 is already resorbed.

[0043] FIG. 5 illustrates an intracorporeal blood vessel 10, from which blood pressure waves 11 emanate and interact with the medical implant 1 according to the solution so that the planar, expanded medical implant 1 is spatially deformed by the pressure waves 11. By means of an extracorporeally arranged ultrasonic head 12, ultrasonic waves 13 are subcutaneously transmitted into the region of the medical implant 1. Through the spatial deformations on the medical implant 1 caused by the blood pressure waves 11, the ultrasonic waves 13 are reflected and modulated on the medical implant 1. This modulation in the reflected ultrasonic waves represents a function of the extent of the deformation or deflection of the medical implant 1 and, in connection therewith, a strength of the blood pressure waves 11, which can be detected and precisely measured.

REFERENCE LIST

[0044] 1 Medical implant [0045] 2 Hollow cannula [0046] 3 Support rod [0047] 4 Film-like substrate [0048] 4′ Surface areas of the medical implant [0049] 5 Nanostructure [0050] 6 Hollow channel [0051] 7 Resorbable holding threads [0052] 8 Constriction [0053] 9 Joint [0054] 10 Blood vessel [0055] 11 Blood pressure waves [0056] 12 Ultrasonic coupler [0057] 13 Ultrasonic waves