Design of an Implantable Pressure Transponder for Placement in Aortic Aneurysms
The endovascular repair procedure for abdominal
aortic aneurysms (AAA)
is a more desirable approach vs. open surgery.
Unfortunately, nearly 10 - 25% of these repairs result in leakage,
termed “endoleaks”.
It is the goal of this work
to design a means of monitoring blood pressure within an aneurysmal sac
for up to 5 years after Endovascular repair.
This project entails designing an implantable and remotely interogable
pressure sensor to monitor blood pressure inside a repaired aneurysm.
The proposed design integrates technologies from the fields of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) transponders and biomedical polymer engineering. It is believed that these existing technologies are developed adequately to allow for rapid development of a functional pressure transponder.
A part of the project involves determining the dynamic response of a biologically-compatible coated pressure sensor within a fluid flow field. This involved the construction of a closed-loop hydraulic circuit, driven by a pulsitile pressure source (peristaltic / roller pump) and testing commercially available pressure sensors coated with various forms of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
Klein, Michael. Pressure Characterization of a Simulated Endovascular Environment. Thesis. 2003.