Miniaturised Medical Devices: Design, Manufacturing, Testing and Translation

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "E:Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 16845

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Interests: microengineering; wearable electronics; ingestible sensors; drug delivery devices; healthcare technology; biomedical sensing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The miniaturisation of medical devices through the use of conventional photolithography-based microfabrication, precision machining techniques or other methods has the potential to open up new opportunities in many areas, including diagnosis, surgery and therapy. For example, miniaturised medical devices will enable minimally invasive inspection or monitoring of hard-to-reach areas of the body, providing invaluable information on the cause, presence or progression of disease. These miniaturised devices may be integrated into catheters, endoscopes, needles, skin-mounted and implanted devices or other form factors. However, these devices face challenges due to the need for biocompatibility, stricter safety requirements or harsh environmental conditions that must be overcome when designing and manufacturing. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers and review articles that focus on (1) the application of miniaturised devices in medicine; (2) the design and fabrication of novel miniaturised medical devices; and (3) challenges related to miniaturised medical devices such as packaging, sterilisation, translation and testing of these devices.

Dr. Gerard Cummins
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Medical devices
  • Micromanufacturing
  • Microfabrication
  • Microsystems
  • Medical implants
  • Therapeutic devices
  • Drug delivery devices
  • Theranostics
  • Biomedical sensing
  • Medical device translation
  • Medical device safety
  • Medical device packaging

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 4525 KiB  
Article
Control Strategy Design of a Microblood Pump Based on Heart-Rate Feedback
by Teng Jing, Tianye Xin, Fangqun Wang, Zhihao Zhang and Ling Zhou
Micromachines 2022, 13(3), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13030358 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2313
Abstract
Based on the nonlinear relationship between heart rate and stroke volume, a flow model of left ventricular circulation was improved, and a variable-speed blood-pump control strategy based on heart-rate feedback was proposed. The control strategy was implemented on a system combining the rotary [...] Read more.
Based on the nonlinear relationship between heart rate and stroke volume, a flow model of left ventricular circulation was improved, and a variable-speed blood-pump control strategy based on heart-rate feedback was proposed. The control strategy was implemented on a system combining the rotary blood pump and blood circulation models of heart failure. The aortic flow of a healthy heart at different heart rates was the desired control goal. Changes in heart rate were monitored and pump speed was adjusted so that the output flow and aortic pressure of the system would match a normal heart in real time to achieve the best auxiliary state. After simulation with MATLAB, the cardiac output satisfied the ideal perfusion requirements at different heart rates, and aortic pressure demonstrated lifting and had good pulsatile performance when a variable-speed blood pump was used. The coupled model reflected the relationship between hemodynamic parameters at different heart rates with the use of the variable-speed blood pump, providing a theoretical basis for the blood-pump-assisted treatment of heart failure and the design of physiological control strategies. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 4151 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Sensing of Glucose Using Glucose Oxidase/PEDOT:4-Sulfocalix [4]arene/MXene Composite Modified Electrode
by Preethika Murugan, Jayshree Annamalai, Raji Atchudan, Mani Govindasamy, Deepak Nallaswamy, Dhanraj Ganapathy, Anatoly Reshetilov and Ashok K. Sundramoorthy
Micromachines 2022, 13(2), 304; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13020304 - 16 Feb 2022
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 4244
Abstract
Glucose is one of the most important monosaccharides found in the food, as a part of more complex structures, which is a primary energy source for the brain and body. Thus, the monitoring of glucose concentration is more important in food and biological [...] Read more.
Glucose is one of the most important monosaccharides found in the food, as a part of more complex structures, which is a primary energy source for the brain and body. Thus, the monitoring of glucose concentration is more important in food and biological samples in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Herein, an electrochemical glucose biosensor was fabricated by immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOX) onto poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):4-sulfocalix [4]arene (PEDOT:SCX)/MXene modified electrode. For this purpose, firstly, PEDOT was synthesized in the presence of SCX (counterion) by the chemical oxidative method. Secondly, MXene (a 2D layered material) was synthesized by using a high-temperature furnace under a nitrogen atmosphere. After that, PEDOT:SCX/MXene (1:1) dispersion was prepared by ultrasonication which was later utilized to prepare PEDOT:SCX/MXene hybrid film. A successful formation of PEDOT:SCX/MXene film was confirmed by HR-SEM, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopies. Due to the biocompatibility nature, successful immobilization of GOX was carried out onto chitosan modified PEDOT:SCX/MXene/GCE. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of PEDOT:SCX/MXene/GOX/GCE was studied through cyclic voltammetry and amperometry methods. Interestingly, a stable redox peak of FAD-GOX was observed at a formal potential of –0.435 V on PEDOT:SCX/MXene/GOX/GCE which indicated a direct electron transfer between the enzyme and the electrode surface. PEDOT:SCX/MXene/GOX/GCE also exhibited a linear response against glucose concentrations in the linear range from 0.5 to 8 mM. The effect of pH, sensors reproducibility, and repeatability of the PEDOT:SCX/MXene/GOX/GCE sensor were studied. Finally, this new biosensor was successfully applied to detect glucose in commercial fruit juice sample with satisfactory recovery. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2243 KiB  
Article
Novel Blood Clot Retriever for Ischemic Stroke
by Ming-Ya Hung, Chun-Kai Yang, Jiong-Hong Chen, Li-Han Lin and Hao-Ming Hsiao
Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 928; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080928 - 3 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3122
Abstract
Stroke is the second leading cause of death in the world. Ischemic stroke, caused by the blockage of intracranial arteries, accounts for approximately 80% of strokes. Among this proportion, acute ischemic stroke, usually caused by the sudden formation of blood clots, can cause [...] Read more.
Stroke is the second leading cause of death in the world. Ischemic stroke, caused by the blockage of intracranial arteries, accounts for approximately 80% of strokes. Among this proportion, acute ischemic stroke, usually caused by the sudden formation of blood clots, can cause fatal blockages in arteries. We proposed a unique blood clot retriever for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke, and conducted a series of tasks, including design, computer simulation, prototyping, and bench testing, for the proof of concept. Unlike most blood clot retrievers used today, our novel design deviates from traditional stent-like blood clot retrievers and uses large closed cells, irregular spikes, and strut protrusions to achieve maximum entanglement for better retrieval performance. Experimental results showed that the retrieval rate of our blood clot retriever was 79%, which demonstrated the feasibility of our new design concept. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 3323 KiB  
Article
In Vivo Microelectrode Arrays for Detecting Multi-Region Epileptic Activities in the Hippocampus in the Latent Period of Rat Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
by Yuchuan Dai, Yilin Song, Jingyu Xie, Shengwei Xu, Xinrong Li, Enhui He, Huabing Yin and Xinxia Cai
Micromachines 2021, 12(6), 659; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12060659 - 3 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3303
Abstract
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a form of refractory focal epilepsy, which includes a latent period and a chronic period. Microelectrode arrays capable of multi-region detection of neural activities are important for accurately identifying the epileptic focus and pathogenesis mechanism in the latent [...] Read more.
Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a form of refractory focal epilepsy, which includes a latent period and a chronic period. Microelectrode arrays capable of multi-region detection of neural activities are important for accurately identifying the epileptic focus and pathogenesis mechanism in the latent period of TLE. Here, we fabricated multi-shank MEAs to detect neural activities in the DG, hilus, CA3, and CA1 in the TLE rat model. In the latent period in TLE rats, seizures were induced and changes in neural activities were detected. The results showed that induced seizures spread from the hilus and CA3 to other areas. Furthermore, interneurons in the hilus and CA3 were more excited than principal cells and exhibited rhythmic oscillations at approximately 15 Hz in grand mal seizures. In addition, the power spectral density (PSD) of neural spikes and local field potentials (LFPs) were synchronized in the frequency domain of the alpha band (9–15 Hz) after the induction of seizures. The results suggest that fabricated MEAs have the advantages of simultaneous and precise detection of neural activities in multiple subregions of the hippocampus. Our MEAs promote the study of cellular mechanisms of TLE during the latent period, which provides an important basis for the diagnosis of the lesion focus of TLE. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 4076 KiB  
Article
Self-Expanding Anchors for Stabilizing Percutaneously Implanted Microdevices in Biological Tissues
by Sharath Bhagavatula, Devon Thompson, Christine Dominas, Irfanullah Haider and Oliver Jonas
Micromachines 2021, 12(4), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12040404 - 6 Apr 2021
Viewed by 2510
Abstract
Percutaneously implanted miniaturized devices such as fiducial markers, miniaturized sensors, and drug delivery devices have an important and expanding role in diagnosing and treating a variety of diseases. However, there is a need to develop and evaluate anchoring methods to ensure that these [...] Read more.
Percutaneously implanted miniaturized devices such as fiducial markers, miniaturized sensors, and drug delivery devices have an important and expanding role in diagnosing and treating a variety of diseases. However, there is a need to develop and evaluate anchoring methods to ensure that these microdevices remain secure without dislodgement, as even minimal migration within tissues could result in loss of microdevice functionality or clinical complications. Here we describe two anchoring methods made from biocompatible materials: (1) a self-expanding nitinol mesh anchor and (2) self-expanding hydrogel particles contained within pliable netting. We integrate these anchors into existing drug-screening microdevices and experimentally measure forces required to dislodge them from varying tissues. We report similar dislodgement forces of 738 ± 37, 707 ± 40, 688 ± 29, and 520 ± 28 mN for nitinol-anchored microdevices, and 735 ± 98, 702 ± 46, 457 ± 47, and 459 ± 39 mN for hydrogel-anchored microdevices in liver, kidney, fat, and muscle tissues, respectively—significantly higher compared with 13 ± 2, 15 ± 3, 15 ± 2, and 15 ± 3 mN for non-anchored microdevices (p < 0.001 in all tissues). The anchoring methods increased resistance to dislodgement by a factor of 30–50× in all tissues, did not increase the required needle gauge for insertion, and were compatible with percutaneous implantation and removal. These results indicate that anchoring significantly improves microdevice stability and should reduce migration risk in a variety of biological tissues. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop