Implantable superhydrophobic surfaces
AssigneeBVW Holding AG
InventorsLukas Bluecher, Michael Milbocker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Bio-adhesive textured surfaces are described which allow implants to be localized within a living body. Hierarchical levels of texture on an implantable medical device, some capable of establishing a Wenzel state and others a Cassie state, are employed to interface with living structures to provide resistance to device migration. Since a gaseous state is traditionally required to establish a Cassie or Wenzel state, and gases do not remain long in living tissue, described are tissue/device interactions analogous to the above states with the component normally represented by a gas replaced by a bodily constituent, wherein separation of tissue constituents develops and an analogous Cassie, Wenzel or Cassie-Wenzel state evolves.
Claims31
An implantable medical device comprising at least two surface textures on a substrate,
- wherein the at least two surface textures comprise a first surface texture having a smaller pitch than a second surface texture, the first surface texture being disposed on the second surface texture to form a hierarchical structure on the substrate,
- wherein upon implantation in a host tissue, the surface textures form interfaces with liquids present in the host tissue, wherein
- the first surface texture contacts water present in the host tissue to form a first interface;
- and
- a part of the second surface texture contacts lipids present in the host tissue to form a second interface;
- wherein the interfaces have a contact hysteresis angle of at least 5 degrees.
An implantable medical device comprising two sides, each side comprising surface textures on a substrate, wherein the surface textures comprise a first surface texture having a smaller pitch than a second surface texture, the first surface texture being disposed on the second surface texture to form a hierarchical structure on the substrate, wherein upon implantation in a host tissue the surface textures form interfaces with liquids present in host tissue, wherein
- the first surface texture contacts water present in the host tissue to form a first interface;
- and
- a part of the second surface texture contacts lipids present in the host tissue to form a second interface;
- wherein the resulting interfaces generate a contact hysteresis angle of at least 5 degrees on one side of the device and less than 5 degrees on the other side of the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.