Engineering of Medical Metals for Improved Clinical Imaging

Minimally invasive medical device placement requires accuracy that goes well beyond natural line of sight where materials science and engineering play a significant role in resultant clinical effectiveness and efficiency. This talk explores materials strategies in alloy, composite, and device subcomponent development, with a particular focus on wire- and tube-based devices for vascular anatomies, to enable next generation success in the operating theater. Technologies will be highlighted that can benefit both permanent, temporary, and absorbable devices.

Engineered medical metals have solved and can continue solving new challenges in the heart, brain, and peripheral aspects of human vasculature. As example, microns-thick wires thinner than a human hair are woven into tubular scaffolds to treat brain aneurysm in millimeter-scale arteries. These wires are often built from shape memory alloy (SMA) to withstand tortuous delivery and expand to softly conform to delicate neural anatomy. Higher atomic elements such as tantalum and platinum are married by composite to the SMA to give x-ray contrast and enable rapid and accurate placement over a risky lesion such as an aneurysm, to life-savingly prevent rupture. Current materials do not solve every new challenge. Deeper brain treatments with vascular scaffolds will require stronger and thinner materials that possess sufficient strength and clinical visibility. Participants in the session should expect to leave with new ideas and deeper knowledge in tools available to increase visibility of wire and tube based vascular device subcomponents.