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Energy Platform for More than One Application

Energy and data transmission: technology borrowed from aeronautics and astronautics and applied to medical devices
Energy Platform for More than One Application

A new system for wireless energy and data transmission finds a useful place in medical technology. The first product will be a controllable implanted artificial sphincter. Others could follow.

Batteries and cables are familiar terms that everybody knows. In most situations anyway. In the area of active implants, however, there are a few reasons to do away with making an incision in and running the cable through the skin and to consider using alternative power supplies.

Engineers and medical professionals at Dualis Medtech GmbH in Seefeld, Germany, have been occupied with these questions for years—and they developed the Med-Base platform in response. This platform can transfer wireless energy from a few microwatts to up to 30 W, making it a viable option for powering numerous medical devices, such as implants. “The range of applications is very large and extends from artificial heart systems and drug pumps to myoelectric prostheses or external defibrillators,” summarizes managing director Stephan Sagolla.
So far the experts in Seefeld have applied their know-how in matters of energy transmission mainly to development projects with their clients. Now they are working on the first product of their own, which could appear on the market in 2017: the implantable wireless sphincter system (IWSS) is designed to provide numerous incontinence patients around the world with new treatment methods while avoiding many disadvantages inherent with current conventional implants. “This system allows Dualis Medtech to take the step from development partner and supplier of subcomponents to medical device manufacturer,” says Sagolla.
Even with IWSS, however, Dualis Medtech plans to work with other companies from the industry once the development has progressed further. “We are talking to investors and strategic partners,” comments Sagolla, “but we would gladly welcome other potential partners.” For Dualis Medtech it would make sense to offer IWSS as a product license or to allocate the rights to the product regionally or globally. “There are also many other medical devices for which Med-Base could likewise be used, and these products are worth taking a look at.”
Med-Base uses the principle of resonant inductive coupling for wireless energy transmission. Depending on intended use, various secure RF communication technologies will be used to control the system by telemetry. Since the platform was developed as a modular concept, it can be adapted to or integrated into various products. “Energy and data can also be transmitted simultaneously,” adds Sagolla. Med-Base can even be used for inductive charging of an implanted battery.
The Seefeld experts describe their platform as “tolerant to horizontal and vertical displacement of sending and receiving inductor.” This makes a difference, especially for use in implants since the coupling elements inside and outside of the body are always in motion and cannot be aligned precisely. The implanted system has less temperature rises so that it does not exceed the limit—the surrounding body tissue may not be heated by more than 2 °C pursuant to DIN standard 60601–1. The advantages this platform brings to a product can be seen in the example of IWSS—a prototype of the complete system has been made, and the Med-Base system has already been tested in animal experiments in combination with a heart pump over a period of 150 days.
One of the main advantages for patients is the easier handling made possible by the electrical solution. Sagolla points out that in this regard IWSS is “superior to the current conventional, mechanical solutions.” Patients with mechanically activated implants in the scrotum or labia have to operate a pump mechanism on the device by hand to replace the function of the defective sphincter—the opening and closing of the passageway through the urethra. These solutions were developed about 40 years ago and are commonly used, both in urinary and fecal incontinence. Operating these types of implants can be difficult for people with reduced fine motor skills and for elderly people; sometimes even assistance from nurses or relatives is problematic. More- over, the system puts high pressure on the surrounding tissue in the urethra because the mechanical solution cannot always adapt to the needs. Over time such leads to tissue lesions that require further surgeries.
The electronically activated, hydraulic, artificial sphincter having a transcutaneous energy supply adapts automatically to the closing pressure needed in each situation and protects the surrounding tissue. Implanted in the patient are functional components that act as electronic pump units and valves. Med-Base powers these two components and controls the elements. Energy consumption remains low because the system does not require energy for the pump unit or valve under the constant pressure. The patient can operate the system “externally” using a wearable controller, without having to touch the body, making handling much easier. The system adapts automatically to the prevailing urethral pressures with a short response time and ensures reliable continence even when patients cough, sneeze, or make other quick movements. This feature is made possible by the positive pressure in the reservoir and the rapid response time of a bi-stable valve.
The doctor can customize the system to each patient after surgery. Sagolla also adds that manual systems that are already implanted can be made to work with the Dualis Medtech electronic unit retrospectively. “In addition, this technology can also be used for penis prostheses and in reflux patients who have stomach problems like heartburn.” This system could even be used with a gastric band—and parts of it may offer advantages for drug pumps.
Dr. Birgit Oppermann birgit.oppermann@konradin.de
Additional information Engineers and a heart surgeon founded Dualis Medtech GmbH in Seefeld in 2006 as a spin-off of Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) [Germany’s national aeronautics and space research center]. www.dualis-medtech.de/en/
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1.2024
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